UKRAINE – 2024/05/12: In this photo illustration, Hanwha Group logo is seen on a smartphone and on a pc screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — As it works to expand globally, South Korea’s Hanwha is bringing over Michael Coulter from Leonardo DRS to take a newly-created role of Global Defense CEO.
Coulter, in this new role, will “be responsible for overseeing the global defense businesses of Hanwha Aerospace and its subsidiaries such as Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems,” according to a Dec. 15 announcement. Hanwha “aims to strengthen its strategic position by delivering integrated land, sea, and air solutions in key global markets, particularly the United States,” the announcement adds.
Coulter recently was Leonardo DRS’s senior vice president of corporate business development. A Navy reserve officer, Coulter also held several Pentagon and State roles in the 2000s.
“Serving in the industry, I’ve been impressed by Hanwha’s continued growth as a leader in aerospace & defense and the commitment to deliver for its customers,” Coulter said in a statement. “As a combat veteran with a career devoted to security cooperation of allies and partners, I am committed to the mission of this great company to provide global security, industrial capacity, and solutions for the brave men and women who protect our freedoms.”
Hanwha has been making global inroads in recent years, and has been eyeing expansion inside the United States as a priority. That includes buying Philly Shipyard earlier this year, with an eye on Naval contracts in the future.
