Kelly Ortberg, chief executive officer of Rockwell Collins Inc., stands for a photograph at the company’s production facility in in Manchester, Iowa, U.S., on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016.
Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Boeing has named Robert “Kelly” Ortberg to replace CEO Dave Calhoun, picking a longtime aerospace veteran from outside the company as the manufacturer scrambles to regain its footing from safety and manufacturing crises. He will start on Aug. 8.
Ortberg, 64, previously led major aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins, which later became Collins Aerospace, and the business is now part of industry behemoth RTX. He retired in 2021.
Ortberg, who has a mechanical engineering degree, will face a host of challenges as Boeing’s CEO: persistent losses, heightened regulator scrutiny, a crisis of confidence from airline customers whose planes are delayed, and tense labor talks that now include the threat of a strike.
His appointment on Wednesday came alongside Boeing’s second-quarter results, which revealed a wider-than-expected loss and a 15% drop in sales.
Boeing announced in March that Calhoun would step down by year’s end, part of a broader company shakeup that also included the departure of its then-chairman and the replacement of its head of commercial aircraft. The changes came after a door plug blew out of a nearly new 737 Max 9, reigniting federal scrutiny over Boeing just as it was trying to move on from two fatal crashes of its best-selling plane.
“The Board conducted a thorough and extensive search process over the last several months to select the next CEO of Boeing and Kelly has the right skills and experience to lead Boeing in its next chapter,” Boeing’s chairman Steven Mollenkopf said in note to employees on Wednesday. “Kelly is an experienced leader who is deeply respected in the aerospace industry, with a well-earned reputation for building strong teams and running complex engineering and manufacturing companies.”
Ortberg will also join Boeing’s board.