Chris Marot

CEO | President leading HEKA – UAM, UAS, A&D, Electrification Technology SME

Chris Marot graduated from Florida Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Engineering. At Florida Tech, he was ingrained with the value of teamwork while he rowed crew and won numerous state, regional, and national titles with his team. 

Chris’s early career was focused on embedded software and electronics used for aircraft control, communication, and navigation avionics, emphasizing safety-critical applications developed under DO178 and DO254 Certification standards. 
His notable aircraft projects included work on the Boeing 747-800, 787, 737, F35, F16, Airbus A400M, and Apache helicopter. 

With close to 25 years of experience, his clients and customers have included Boeing, Airbus, Parker Hannifin, Moog, Collins Aerospace, L3-Harris, Wabtec, General Electric, Alstom, Thales, the US Army, the US Air Force, the US Special Operations Command, NASA, Archer, and Joby. 

In 2007, he co-founded and built Certon Software, serving as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. Chris ran the day-to-day operations and directed the company’s growth from 2 to 60 employees. During this time, he oversaw the successful procurement of numerous avionics product certifications, implemented a certified AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality process, and developed patents and IP in the automated test and certification field. 

In 2012, Chris founded Novel Engineering, where he served initially as CEO and subsequently as COO. Chris ran the day-to-day operations, raising Novel to 90 employees. He also oversaw the acquisition and merger of Riverside Technical Services, where he implemented a certified AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality process. Novel was a multifaceted engineering company focusing primarily on software solutions for the safety-critical transportation industry, including aerospace and rail. 

After successfully founding, building, and running two engineering services companies previously, he founded HEKA in 2017 to focus on full-scale product development services. These services include software, electrical, and mechanical engineering, and their integration into Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), Proof of Concepts (POCs), and/or full-scale production. 

Chris takes pride in being an “out-of-the-box” thinker and loves to ask “why?” when told, “That’s the way it has always been done”. His customers’ satisfaction defines Chris’s version of success: “Are we going to do business again soon with a particular customer? Then yes, this project was a success!”