Paul Leslie is a highly sought-after advisor and mentor to small, mid-market companies, and private equity investors within the public sector information technology market. Leslie brings years of leadership experience successfully building companies for substantial market value and growth. His extensive business operations insight and technical expertise into the challenges of federal government contracting has created a well-recognized track record of aligning company offerings to meet those challenges. Leslie has proven leadership experience and expertise in mergers and acquisitions, business maturity and development, operational excellence, strategic planning, and extensive public sector operations.
Leslie joined Dovel Technologies, a Woman-Owned Small Business, as CEO in 2011. He executed an aggressive growth plan that included a strategic focus on the healthcare technology sector, a strong organic growth plan, and market expansion through M&A. In six years, the company grew from a $10M small business, to an industry recognized mid-tier, advanced technologies business with revenues over $200M. In 2018 Leslie ran a process to recapitalize the business and bring in new investments to allow the company to continue its growth trajectory and technology services maturity. Dovel partnered with Macquarie Capital in May 2019. Leslie transitioned to Executive Chairman providing advisory services and guidance to the CEO and executive team. He retired from the company in April 2021.
In 2010, Leslie founded Sydalco Consulting where he supported startup and small to mid-size companies, increasing their trajectory of business expansion while ensuring the use of good sound business processes. Leslie utilized a business/leadership maturity model that provides an evolutionary framework to understand leadership development relative to business growth.
From 2007 through 2009, Leslie was the president of Apptis, a private equity owned technology and services company. Leslie was hired to improve organizational performance in preparation for a sales transaction. The company ultimately was acquired by URS Corporation in 2011.
Before joining Apptis, he co-founded and served as president and CEO of Apogen Technologies, an Arlington Capital private equity-backed federal sector IT services and technology company with a focus on homeland security and defense. From 2003 to 2007, Leslie led Apogen’s accelerated business expansion through an impressive combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Apogen’s fast growth and corporate success drew attention from many of the large government system integrators. In September of 2005, Apogen was acquired by QinetiQ Ltd., a large defense and research firm headquartered in Great Britain.
Leslie’s expansive career also includes corporate executive positions at EDS, Universal Systems, BDM International, TRW, BTG, and McGuire Woods.
In addition to his role on the Tria Federal Board of Directors, Leslie also serves as a Senior Advisory Board Member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Children’s Science Center and Northern Virginia Science Museum. He also sits on the Innovation Advisory Council of George Mason University. Leslie is a former Chairman of the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia.
Leslie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts/Boston State College.