Chris Banther is acting Vice President Global Supply Chain Management (SCM) for Lockheed Martin Space (Space). Chris brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in several positions of increasing responsibility and delivered value within Operations, Program Management and SCM.
Based in Sunnyvale, California, Chris leads a 650-person team and oversees all aspects of Space’s Supply Chain, including strategy, procurement acquisition process and subcontract program management. He develops strategies that enhance Space’s competitive position through its supply chain, which includes over 7,500 suppliers in 19 countries with an annual spend of over $5 billion for parts, services, major subassemblies and complex mission payloads.

Before joining Space in 2007, Chris proudly served in the U.S. Air Force for seven years as a Global Positioning System (GPS) Payload Engineer, then had the privilege to be selected to work on critical programs within the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Military service gave Chris the opportunity to lead from day one, and he credits his early program management experiences for his success as a corporate executive and thought leader. These talents have driven significant culture shifts within Space, growing the use of interchangeable products across spacecraft platforms and generating over $100 million in cost savings to over 15 programs.
Chris was born in the Bay Area. His maternal grandparents immigrated in the early 1900s from China to San Francisco, where they operated a laundry and a grocery store. His mother and father, who is of Welsh heritage, still live in the same home Chris grew up in.

After completing ROTC at the University of California, Berkeley in 2000, Chris began his Air Force career. As a GPS Payload and Vehicle Systems Engineer for the Air Force’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS), Chris commanded a 28-satellite, $2.4 billion satellite constellation. He also led a 20-member payload engineering team that detected, analyzed and corrected complex payload anomalies.

He joined the NRO in 2004 as Chief of Ground and Support Systems Engineering and served as Operations Supervisor. His duties included directing a 160-person team of systems engineers and IT professionals and leading command, control, communications, computers and infrastructure (C4I) activities for a $10 billion satellite reconnaissance system. He also led operations that supplied real-time data to theater command, the Cabinet and the President.

In 2007, Chris transitioned out of the military. He recalls leaving the Air Force on a Friday and starting with Lockheed Martin on the following Monday as a Flight Software Engineer. In 2010, he transitioned into supply chain management and served in several challenging and broadening roles for nearly a decade. In 2018, Chris became the SCM Director of Enterprise & Strategic Sourcing (ESS) for Space, responsible for enterprise outsourcing strategies, technology insertion and product commonality for complex space systems. Chris was asked to lead the Supply Chain for the Military Space Line of Business, leading SCM execution and strategy across multiple government missions roughly a year before he transitioned into his current Acting VP role in 2023.

Chris received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota.

Chris has also served as a Space Employee Engagement Lead involved in mentoring and diversity initiatives. His leadership achievements have brought him numerous awards, including the city of Sunnyvale’s 2007 Murphy Award for innovation and contribution to the community, two Employee of the Year awards from the Air Force, and a Full Spectrum Leadership and three Team Excellence awards from Space. Chris gives back to his community through numerous service projects with his church.