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Boeing has named Kelly Ortberg as its new chief executive, handing the former head of aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins the challenge of steering the plane maker through one of the biggest crises in its history.
Ortberg, 64, will succeed chief executive Dave Calhoun on August 8. Calhoun said in March he would step down by the end of the year.
Board chair Steven Mollenkopf, who led the search for Calhoun’s replacement, said Ortberg was an experienced leader whom the aerospace industry respected, “with a well-earned reputation for building strong teams and running complex engineering and manufacturing companies”.
“Kelly has the right skills and experience to lead Boeing in its next chapter,” he said in a letter to employees.
Boeing has been reeling since January when a door panel blew off a 737 Max during a commercial flight. Though no one was killed, some passengers were injured, and the accident recalled twin fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that the company has struggled to put behind it.
“I’m extremely honoured and humbled to join this iconic company,” said Ortberg. “There is much work to be done, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Ortberg led Rockwell, which makes cabin equipment, for five years and helped oversee its 2017 tie-up with United Technologies.
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