Jason Goodfriend was appointed Interim Group President of CAE’s Defense & Security Group on April 4, 2024. In this position, he leads the Defense & Security business worldwide, which focuses on helping CAE’s defense customers to maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. Mr. Goodfriend joined CAE Defense & Security in January 2023 as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, he has served as senior executive for D&S operations and has been responsible for managing strategic, operational and tactical efforts to deliver effective and efficient operations and promote Defense & Security as a system of systems to function in concert with the business. Mr. Goodfriend holds over 20 years of experience in the government and private sectors leading and managing programs and P&L execution for various defense-based companies. He has over eight years of COO experience in which he has a proven skill set in leadership, understanding of day-to-day business operations, strategic organization, and program execution. Mr. Goodfriend’s career extends from military service as a US Army Military Intelligence officer with overseas deployment experience supporting Operations Joint-Guardian and Iraqi Freedom to leadership positions developing innovative business-winning strategies. Prior to joining CAE, Mr. Goodfriend was the General Manager of three Akima Operating Companies. He successfully led the company integration and restructuring activities to form a single, fully integrated and optimized organization. As President of Illuminate Mission Solutions, Mr. Goodfriend led the company through acquisition activities focused on technology and service integration. He also was the Chief Operating Officer for Cyberspace Solutions, delivering exceptional support to Federal Government and Military customers while driving impressive growth and double-digit profit by establishing and maintaining effective and efficient business operation processes. Mr. Goodfriend also held several leadership roles with BAE Systems and is intimately familiar with Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) mitigation measures and Special Security Agreements (SSA). Mr. Goodfriend completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison University and the High Potential Leaders Program from The Wharton School. He is an experienced professional with Certifications that include Program Manager Professional (PMP), Agile Certified Professional (ICAgile), ISO-9001 Executive and Auditor, and Shipley Proposal Management.