Arlington-based Boeing named Robert K. “Kelly” Ortberg as its new president and CEO, effective August 8, the company announced.
Ortberg, who also will serve on Boeing’s Board of Directors, takes over for outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun. Calhoun steps down by the end of the year.
“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,” said Steven Mollenkopf, chair of the Board, in a news release.
“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. We look forward to working with him as he leads Boeing through this consequential period in its long history.”
Ortberg, 64, climbed the ranks at one of Boeing’s big suppliers, Rockwell Collins. He started there in 1987 and became CEO in 2013. United Technologies acquired Rockwell Collins and then merged with Raytheon Technologies Corporation. Ortberg stayed on and retired from Raytheon in 2021.
“I’m extremely honored and humbled to join this iconic company,” Ortberg said about his newest company. “Boeing has a tremendous and rich history as a leader and pioneer in our industry, and I’m committed to working together with the more than 170,000 dedicated employees of the company to continue that tradition, with safety and quality at the forefront. There is much work to be done, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Ortberg, the former chair of the Aerospace Industries Association Board of Governors, serves on the Board of Directors of Aptiv PLC, a global technology company.
He comes on board as Boeing reports second quarter losses of more than $1.4 billion and as the company deals with increased federal oversight for the blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet.
Last month, the company pleaded guilty to criminal fraud. The charge came in connection to two crashes of 7373 jets that killed 346 people. The plea kept the company from facing trial on a felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
Feature image of Kelly Ortberg courtesy Boeing
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