After one catastrophic year Due to declining business and general distrust among airline passengers, Boeing has named a new CEO and President after months of searching for the right candidate to turn the company around.
Wednesday, Boeing by name Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, 64, its next chief executive, effective Aug. 8.
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“I am extremely honored and humbled to join this iconic company,” Ortberg said in a statement. “There's a lot of work to do and I can't wait to get started.”
Ortberg it's over 35 years of aerospace and defense experience and served as the former CEO of Rockwell Collins until 2018.
In 2018, United Tech acquired Rockwell Collins, which now operates under Collins Aerospace, whose parent company is RTX Corporation. Ortberg helped lead the company's integration with United Technologies and RTX before leaving in 2021.
According to LinkedInOrtberg currently serves as Special Advisor to the Office of the Chairman and CEO of United Tech.
Kelly Ortberg inside the Rockwell Collins manufacturing facility in 2016 (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He will replace CEO Robert Calhoun who held the post since 2020 and announced in May that he would retire by the end of 2024.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we'll come through this moment a better company, building on all the lessons we've accumulated as we've worked together to rebuild Boeing over the past few years,” he said in a statement. internal interview. memo at the time.
The problems for Boeing began earlier this year when a Boeing MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines crashed on January 5 there was an emergency panel blown out of the plane mid-flight.
Ortberg's appointment came after Boeing announced it Q2 2024 earningswhich were roughly as expected, with Calhoun noting that the company expects losses to continue in the third quarter.
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Boeing without a net loss of $1.44 billion in the second quarter compared to just $149 million at the same time a year ago, with revenue falling 15% over the same period.
The company estimated it burned through $4.3 billion in cash during the second quarter as it continues to try to mitigate the damage.
“Despite a challenging quarter, we are making significant progress strengthening our quality management system and positioning our company for the future,” Calhoun said in a release of earnings. “While we have more work ahead of us, the steps we are taking will help stabilize our operations and ensure Boeing is the company the world needs.”
Boeing shot up 4.5% in a 24-hour period on Wednesday after news of Ortberg's appointment was reported.