MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.(TSX: MDA) has appointed Mr. Howard L. Lance as President and Chief Executive Officer of MDA, and the appointment will be effective as of May 16, 2016—the company's Board expects to appoint Mr. Lance to the MDA Board of Directors shortly after he joins the Company.

MDA's newly appointed President and CEO, Howard Lance.

Mr. Lance succeeds Daniel Friedmann who has served as CEO of the company since 1995 and he'll continue to serve as member of the Board of Directors. This appointment is part of MDA’s broader strategy to position itself to bid and execute a much broader range of U.S. Government and commercial contracts.

From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Lance was Chairman and CEO of Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS). During that period of time, the company posted top- and bottom-line growth at a compounded annualized rate of 14 and 22 percent, respectively. Since 2012, Mr. Lance has been Executive Advisor at Blackstone Group’s private equity business, with a focus on strategy, acquisitions, operations and organizational development of certain holdings.

Prior to his Harris posiiton, from 2001 to 2003 Mr. Lance served as President and Chief Operating Officer of NCR Corporation. From 1984 to 2001, Mr. Lance served in a variety of progressively more senior roles at Emerson Electric Company,, with his last position there as the Executive Vice President of the Electronics and Telecom segment.

Speaking on behalf of the MDA Board, Chairman Bob Phillips said, “Mr. Lance brings to MDA a unique combination of skills and experience that make him ideally suited to lead MDA in further advancing its strategy of U.S. expansion. Throughout his career, Mr. Lance established a strong record of driving growth across multiple global businesses."