Horacio Rozanski

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Horacio Rozanski
BirthplaceBolivia
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusiness executive
TitlePresident and Chief Executive Officer
EmployerBooz Allen Hamilton
Known forPresident and CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton

Horacio Rozanski is an American business executive who serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest and most prominent government consulting and technology firms in the United States. Born in Bolivia, Rozanski has spent his entire professional career at Booz Allen Hamilton, rising through the ranks from an entry-level consultant to the top leadership position at the firm. He is notable for being the first CEO to lead Booz Allen Hamilton as a publicly traded company who also grew up outside of the United States, a distinction noted in coverage by Fortune magazine.[1] Under his leadership, Booz Allen Hamilton has positioned itself at the intersection of government services, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and national security technology, navigating periods of significant political and budgetary change in Washington. Rozanski has been a prominent voice in discussions about the role of AI in national defense, the U.S.-China technology competition, and the relationship between government agencies and private sector contractors during an era of heightened scrutiny over federal spending.

Early Life

Horacio Rozanski was born in Bolivia and later immigrated to the United States. Details regarding his exact birth date and family background have not been widely disclosed in public reporting. His status as an immigrant has been highlighted in media profiles, with Fortune noting in 2025 that he is the first CEO to lead the storied government contracting firm who grew up outside of the United States.[1] Time magazine described Booz Allen Hamilton as the company "where he's worked his whole career," indicating that Rozanski joined the firm early in his professional life and ascended through its organizational hierarchy over a period of decades.[2]

Career

Rise at Booz Allen Hamilton

Rozanski built his career entirely within Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting firm founded in 1914 that has long served as one of the primary consulting partners to the United States government, particularly in the areas of defense, intelligence, and national security. Over the course of several decades, Rozanski advanced through various leadership roles within the firm before being named President and Chief Executive Officer. His appointment made him the leader of a company that generates the vast majority of its revenue from contracts with the U.S. federal government, including the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and civilian federal departments.

As CEO, Rozanski has overseen the company's continued growth and its strategic pivot toward advanced technology, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. The firm operates as a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BAH, and Rozanski serves as the CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp's subsidiary.[3]

Navigating the DOGE Era

A defining period of Rozanski's tenure as CEO came during 2025, when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative within the federal government, began scrutinizing government contracts and spending. As a firm that derives the bulk of its revenue from government work, Booz Allen Hamilton was identified by some observers as a potential target of DOGE-driven budget reductions.[1] However, Rozanski adopted a notably receptive public posture toward the scrutiny, characterizing it as an opportunity rather than a threat.

In an interview with Time magazine in April 2025, Rozanski explained his rationale for welcoming DOGE scrutiny, framing it as a chance for Booz Allen Hamilton to demonstrate the value it provides to government clients. Time reported that Rozanski was "trying to turn the environment of government cost-cutting into an advantage for the company where he's worked his whole career."[2]

In a separate interview with Semafor published on April 25, 2025, Rozanski stated that DOGE was "doing important work" and observed that the cost-cutting agency's efforts had "raised public interest in how the government works." He further noted that DOGE was "learning very fast," suggesting that the initiative's leaders were developing a more nuanced understanding of government operations and the role of contractors.[4]

By July 2025, Fortune reported that despite the potential threat posed by DOGE-related budget cuts, Rozanski remained "bullish on his biggest client" — the U.S. government. The article noted his unprecedented position as both an immigrant CEO and a leader navigating an era of aggressive government cost-cutting, and highlighted his confidence that demand for the firm's services, particularly in technology and national security, would remain strong.[1]

Artificial Intelligence and National Security

Under Rozanski's leadership, Booz Allen Hamilton has invested significantly in artificial intelligence capabilities and positioned itself as a key player in the application of AI to national security and defense missions. Rozanski has been an outspoken advocate for the United States maintaining its technological edge over geopolitical competitors, particularly China, in the development and deployment of AI.

In a December 2025 interview with the Washington Times, Rozanski warned that "the world is not ready" for the cybersecurity risks posed by artificial intelligence. He argued that allowing China to surpass the United States in AI development could threaten both the U.S. economy and national security. The article underscored Rozanski's role as a prominent voice sounding alarms about the strategic implications of AI competition between the two countries.[5]

In an appearance on Fox Business, Rozanski discussed a new partnership between Booz Allen Hamilton and the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), describing it as a way to "team up and bring the best of what we all can do" to help the United States compete with China in the AI race. The partnership was designed to bring cutting-edge commercial AI technologies to government applications, bridging the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and federal government needs.[6]

Defense and Geopolitical Commentary

Rozanski has also spoken publicly about broader geopolitical and defense matters, reflecting Booz Allen Hamilton's deep involvement in supporting U.S. military and intelligence operations. In a June 2025 interview with Fortune, conducted shortly before the United States carried out military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Rozanski discussed the strategic landscape regarding Iran, stating that "it's good to have options in dealing with Iran." The interview highlighted the intersection of the firm's consulting work with real-time geopolitical decision-making.[7]

In August 2025, Rozanski appeared on the national security podcast War on the Rocks in an episode titled "Cogs of War: Moving at the Speed of War with Horacio Rozanski of Booz Allen." The discussion focused on the theme that future conflicts would not be determined by the size of budgets, strategies, or armies alone, but rather by the speed and agility with which nations could adapt and deploy technology. Rozanski used the platform to articulate his vision for how firms like Booz Allen Hamilton could help the U.S. military and intelligence community operate more effectively in an era of rapid technological change.[8]

Corporate Governance and Insider Activity

Rozanski has maintained a personal financial stake in Booz Allen Hamilton. In October 2025, financial tracking site GuruFocus reported that Rozanski had acquired additional shares of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp (NYSE: BAH), an insider purchase that signaled his continued confidence in the company's direction and financial prospects.[3]

Public Positions and Perspectives

Throughout his tenure as CEO, Rozanski has articulated several consistent themes in his public commentary. These include:

U.S.-China technology competition: Rozanski has repeatedly framed the race for AI dominance between the United States and China as one of the defining strategic challenges of the era. He has advocated for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure that the U.S. maintains its technological edge, warning that falling behind China in AI could have severe consequences for both economic competitiveness and national security.[5][6]

Government efficiency and value: Rather than resisting the scrutiny brought by DOGE and government cost-cutting initiatives, Rozanski has publicly embraced transparency and efficiency as goals that align with Booz Allen Hamilton's mission. He has argued that the firm's work delivers significant value to taxpayers and that increased scrutiny ultimately benefits firms that perform well.[2][4]

Speed and agility in defense: In his War on the Rocks appearance and other forums, Rozanski has emphasized that the ability to move quickly — in decision-making, technology deployment, and organizational adaptation — will be a more important determinant of military success than traditional measures of power such as budget size or troop numbers.[8]

AI cybersecurity risks: Rozanski has warned that the rapid proliferation of AI technologies creates new vulnerabilities that neither governments nor the private sector are fully prepared to address, calling for greater investment in AI-related cybersecurity capabilities.[5]

Personal Life

Rozanski was born in Bolivia and later moved to the United States, where he built his career. He has spoken publicly about his identity as an immigrant leading a major American government services firm. Fortune described him in 2025 as the first CEO to lead Booz Allen Hamilton as a publicly traded company who grew up outside the United States, a fact that has been noted as distinctive given the firm's deep ties to the U.S. national security establishment.[1] Rozanski has spent his entire professional career at Booz Allen Hamilton, a tenure that spans decades and encompasses multiple leadership roles before his appointment as CEO.[2]

Recognition

Rozanski's leadership of Booz Allen Hamilton has attracted significant media attention, particularly during the 2025 period of government spending scrutiny and heightened geopolitical tensions. He has been profiled or interviewed by major publications including Fortune, Time, the Washington Times, and Semafor, and has appeared on broadcast outlets including Fox Business. His appearance on the War on the Rocks podcast, a prominent platform for national security and defense policy discussions, reflected his standing as a recognized voice in the intersection of technology and national security.[8]

The breadth of media coverage in 2025 — spanning topics from government efficiency to AI competition with China to geopolitical strategy regarding Iran — illustrated Rozanski's role not merely as a corporate executive but as a participant in broader public discourse about American national security and technology policy.

Legacy

As of the mid-2020s, Rozanski's legacy is closely tied to his stewardship of Booz Allen Hamilton during a period of transformation in the relationship between the U.S. government and its technology and consulting partners. Under his leadership, the firm has sought to evolve from a traditional management consulting company into a technology-driven enterprise focused on AI, cybersecurity, and advanced analytics for government clients.

His public embrace of government scrutiny during the DOGE era, rather than a defensive posture, represented a distinctive strategic approach among government contractors. By welcoming transparency and framing cost-cutting as compatible with the firm's mission, Rozanski positioned Booz Allen Hamilton as a company confident in the value of its work.[2][4]

Rozanski's emphasis on the U.S.-China AI competition and his efforts to forge partnerships between traditional government contractors and Silicon Valley venture capital firms, such as the collaboration with Andreessen Horowitz, reflected a broader shift in the defense and intelligence contracting industry toward integrating commercial technology innovation with government missions.[6] His warnings about AI cybersecurity vulnerabilities contributed to an ongoing national conversation about the risks and opportunities presented by rapid advances in artificial intelligence.[5]

As an immigrant who rose to lead one of America's most prominent national security firms, Rozanski's career trajectory has also been cited as illustrative of the opportunities available within the American business landscape.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Booz Allen Hamilton may have been a DOGE target—but its CEO is still bullish on his biggest client".Fortune.2025-07-05.https://fortune.com/article/booz-allen-hamilton-ceo-horacio-rozanski-interview-us-china-ai-quantum-doge-cuts/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Why Booz Allen CEO Horacio Rozanski Welcomes DOGE Scrutiny".Time.2025-04-13.https://time.com/7277233/booz-allen-ceo-horacio-rozanski-interview/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Insider Buying: Horacio Rozanski Acquires Shares of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp (BAH)".GuruFocus.2025-10-30.https://www.gurufocus.com/news/3173998/insider-buying-horacio-rozanski-acquires-shares-of-booz-allen-hamilton-holding-corp-bah?mobile=true.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "DOGE is learning 'very fast,' says Booz Allen Hamilton CEO".Semafor.2025-04-25.https://www.semafor.com/article/04/25/2025/booz-allen-hamilton-ceo-horacio-rozanski-doge-is-doing-important-work.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "The 'world is not ready' for AI cybersecurity risks, Booz Allen CEO warns".Washington Times.2025-12-12.https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/12/world-ready-ai-cybersecurity-risks-booz-allen-ceo-horacio-rozanski/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "This is a way to team up and 'bring the best of what we all can do' to help US beat China in the AI race: Booz Allen Hamilton CEO".Fox Business.https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6387624729112.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. "Booz Allen Hamilton CEO: 'It's good to have options in dealing with Iran'".Fortune.2025-06-23.https://fortune.com/2025/06/23/booz-allen-hamilton-ceo-iran/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Cogs of War: Moving at the Speed of War with Horacio Rozanski of Booz Allen".War on the Rocks.2025-08-26.https://warontherocks.com/2025/08/cogs-of-war-moving-at-the-speed-of-war-with-horacio-rozanski-of-booz-allen/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.