Who is Boeing’s new CEO Robert ‘Kelly’ Ortberg who will take over the loss making planemaker

Boeing has been reeling under pressure for a few years now due to safety concerns over its 737 Max flights and reporting losses to the tune of $1.4 billion in the second quarter of current financial year.

Boeing has been infamous for the past few years for all the wrong reasons. In 2018 and 2019, a pair of Boeing’s 737 Max planes crashed killing all 346 people on board. (File)

The veteran plane manufacturer Boeing has announced its new CEO Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, former CEO of supplier Rockwell Collins, who will be replacing Dave Calhoun on August 8.

Boeing has been reeling under pressure for a few years now due to safety concerns over its 737 Max flights and reporting losses to the tune of $1.4 billion in the second quarter of current financial year.

In the first reaction amid the announcement, Ortberg said, “I’m extremely honored and humbled to join this iconic company.”

Who is Robert “Kelly” Ortberg?

Ortberg, 64, started working in Texas Instruments in 1983 as an engineer and after four years, Ortberg moved on and started working as a program manager with Rockwell Collins in 1987.

Also Read | Former Rockwell Collins chief being considered for Boeing CEO, report says

He eventually became the CEO of Rockwell Collins in 2013 and supervised the acquisition of Rockwell by United Technologies Corporation in 2018.

He retired in 2021 and currently is a part of an automotive technology supplier where he is a member of the Board of Directors of Aptiv PLC.

Ortberg did his mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa. He is the former Chair of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Board of Governors.

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Also Read | String of Boeing-related incidents raises safety concerns. Watch video

“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,” said Boeing’s Chair of the Board Steven Mollenkopf in a statement.

Mollenkopf further added that “We look forward to working with him as he leads Boeing through this consequential period in its long history.”

Key Background

Boeing has been infamous for the past few years for all the wrong reasons. In 2018 and 2019, a pair of Boeing’s 737 Max planes crashed killing all 346 people on board.

And in 2021, Boeing pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy in connection with two fatal crashes and was criminally fined $243 million.

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Ortberg in his first statement after being announced as the new CEO of Boeing said, “I’m extremely honored and humbled to join this iconic company.”

Ortberg further added, “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.”

(with inputs from Forbes, CNN)