Thompson Parent Company Announces Leadership Changes

The new year will bring new leadership to the helm of Thompson Holdings, parent company of Thompson Engineering of Mobile, Watermark Design, Thompson Consulting Services and Meyer Engineers. Chief Legal Officer Chad Brown will become CEO starting January 1, 2025, and current CEO John Baker will become executive chairman. Brown joined Thompson Holdings in 2002. He is an officer on the Thompson Holdings Board of Directors and chairs the board’s Mergers and Acquisitions Committee and the Thompson Foundation. Brown’s appointment as CEO is the latest development in succession planning in advance of Baker’s retirement. In January, Baker announced Kendall Kilpatrick as CEO of Thompson Engineering, the largest of the operating subsidiaries. Kilpatrick is only the fifth CEO to lead the company in its 71-year history. Baker’s 33-year career with Thompson began in its water resources division in 1991. He was promoted to president of Thompson Engineering and then CEO of both Thompson Holdings and Thompson Engineering.