Boeing announces Robert “Kelly” Ortberg as new CEO

Boeing today announced that its Board of Directors has elected Robert K. “Kelly” Ortberg as the company’s new president and chief executive officer, effective August 8, 2024. Ortberg will also join Boeing’s Board of Directors, succeeding Dave Calhoun, who announced his retirement earlier this year after serving as president and CEO since January 2020 and as a board member since 2009.

“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. “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 expressed his gratitude, stating, “I’m extremely honoured and humbled to join this iconic 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.”

Career

With over 35 years of aerospace leadership, Ortberg began his career in 1983 as an engineer at Texas Instruments before joining Rockwell Collins in 1987. He rose through the ranks to become president and CEO in 2013 and led the company’s integration with United Technologies and RTX until his retirement in 2021. He has served on the Board of Directors of RTX and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aptiv PLC. Ortberg holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa.