Meet Our Leadership Team

Ben Edson is the Founder and CEO of VariQ, a company with 200+ employees which has evolved from a single-employee start-up into a mid-tier government services provider. As an industry innovator and results-driven entrepreneur, Ben has built an award-winning business that engineers and delivers complex, problem solving solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, software development and cloud services, while fostering lasting partnerships with industry leaders. 

Ben Edson has served on the board of directors for the Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) since 2015. He was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2019 and was awarded the Washington GovCon Executive of the Year award in 2015. Other noteworthy awards include: the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Leader of the Year award and the Washington SmartCEO's Family Business Legacy award in 2016. VariQ was the recipient of the 2018 Metro DC Moxie Award for Government Contractors (200-300 employees) and the DHS Small Business Award for Fiscal Year 2019.

Ben holds an MBA and Master of Science in Information Telecommunications Systems from the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University.

As CFO for VariQ, Tom Edson is responsible for the overall financial governance and management of VariQ's operations. He directs, monitors, and administers activities and policies related to the company’s financial position.

Prior to joining VariQ, Tom worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving for five years as a senior associate, where he specialized in financial statement audits of numerous financial companies such as hedge funds and banking clients. In 2010, he relocated to Washington DC to join the VariQ team.

Tom Edson received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Texas, San Antonio. He received his CPA certification from the State of Texas, and is a certified Project Management Professional. He was the recipient of the Washington DC Executive Management Award in 2016 and the Trending 40 award in 2017 for Rising Stars in Federal Technology.

Brian Edwards serves as VariQ’s Vice President for Growth Operations. In this capacity, Mr. Edwards is responsible for business development and capture, and is tasked to lead and improve company growth by leveraging VariQ’s core capabilities and exceptional past performance across a diverse customer base.

Mr. Edwards has been working in the field of security since 2001, managing and supporting the development and implementation of security initiatives across a wide spectrum of customers including the Federal Financial Sector, Department of Defense, Petro-Chemical companies, and U.S. Embassies. His career has encompassed roles in leadership, executive management, business development/capture, marketing, decision-making, and problem solving. 

Mr. Edwards has a successful record of accomplishments in developing, managing, and delivering solutions that generate revenue, meet customer requirements, and expand market share. Mr. Edwards was instrumental in VariQ receiving numerous industry-recognized awards and commendations.

Sean DuGuay is VariQ’s Senior Vice President of Growth. DuGuay joined VariQ in 2020 and provides oversight to VariQ’s BD and Capture team, as well as managing some of VariQ’s more strategic accounts. DuGuay’s expertise resides with National Security programs such as DHS, DOJ, DOD, DOS, and the Intelligence Community.

Prior to VariQ, DuGuay was the former vice president of Business Development at ICF. He also served in executive BD positions at Excella, CGI, Ciber Global and Federated IT. Earlier in his career, Sean served as a special agent in the U.S. Marine Corps for ten years.

Sean DuGuay has an Associate and a Bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University, and attended the Northwestern California University School of Law. He brings almost three decades of experience in growing companies from small business to large business standards, as well as merger and acquisition of firms. His professional background encompasses strategy development, risk management, and technology modernization in the federal IT market.

André Hicks is VariQ’s Senior Vice President of Service Delivery. He is an accomplished business operation executive with 20+ years of experience, and extensive knowledge of program operations, business development, capture, and proposal development. André led a diverse portfolio of defensive cyber operations programs, providing capabilities and mission-focused solutions to the Department of Defense (DOD), Federal/Civilian, and Intelligence Community (IC).

André’s previous positions include VP of Business Development and Capture Operations and VP and Portfolio Manager of Federal Law Enforcement Cyber Security Solutions at Mantech. He started his defense contracting career in 2005 in business development and capture operations, focusing on growing cyber business in the Federal/Civilian and Intelligence Community (IC). He has a passion for working with individuals and teams to deliver solutions that enable the protection of critical missions through strategic planning, training, and team building. He brings leadership and innovation to VariQ, with focus on ongoing development of leading-edge capabilities to continue to position VariQ to expand its current market share and deliver innovative solutions.

André holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management.