NEW YORK – J.F. Lehman & Company, a leading middle-market private equity firm focused on the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors, is pleased to announce the addition of Michael V. Cuff as Managing Director, Operations. Mr. Cuff will be involved in all aspects of the firm’s private equity investment program, from due diligence and evaluation of investment opportunities to development and execution of J.F. Lehman’s strategic plan for new portfolio companies. In particular, Mr. Cuff will focus on the operational evaluation, oversight and direction of portfolio companies from acquisition through exit.
Mr. Cuff most recently served as a senior executive in the Aerospace division of Honeywell International, Inc., a Fortune 100 company. Over his seven-year career at Honeywell, Mr. Cuff assumed roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as the head of Helicopter and Surface Systems. In this role, Mr. Cuff was responsible for day-to-day management and operations – including strategy, sales, finance, acquisitions and product development – of a $1.8 billion P&L that encompassed a wide range of U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy surface programs as well as commercial and defense helicopter programs. While running Helicopter and Surface Systems, Mr. Cuff led a variety of growth initiatives that resulted in the identification of $2.0 billion in new opportunities while delivering an 85% win rate on new contracts. In addition to driving revenue and profit growth in his businesses, he developed and introduced new products, managed key customer relationships and conceived and executed acquisition strategies.
Prior to joining Honeywell, Mr. Cuff completed a distinguished 28 year career in the U.S. Army. Senior positions held included Strategic Planning for Middle East operations at the Pentagon and seven years in program management, where he successfully managed the Crusader program – one of the Army’s largest acquisition programs encompassing over 60 industrial contractor partners.
“Mike is an accomplished executive with a background perfectly suited to J.F. Lehman’s investment strategy,” said Louis N. Mintz, a Partner with the firm. “We are equally excited about his enthusiasm and passion, and expect our future portfolio companies will benefit tremendously from his skills in business development, program management and operations.”
“Growing and improving technically-driven enterprises is my passion,” Mr. Cuff said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to use my capabilities to expand the firm’s portfolio and drive value for J.F. Lehman’s investors.”
Mr. Cuff earned a B.A. degree from Brigham Young University and an M.E. from Oregon State University. He also holds an M.S. from the National War College, and completed the Strategic Technology Development Executive course at M.I.T. and the Finance Executive Course from the University of Chicago. He is Six Sigma Green Belt certified.