Photo credit: Boeing
Just like so many sectors across the global economy, aviation is in turmoil. That makes Kelly Ortberg’s job as CEO of Boeing a big-time challenge. As CEO, he’s responsible for restoring trust in a company that still represents the beating heart of global aviation, with significant implications for national security and the aerospace supply chain. What happens to Boeing has immediate ripple effects that hit airlines, governments, defense partners, and thousands of suppliers around the world.
His words carry so much weight because of Boeing’s sheer scale. He’s steering a massive operation at a time when it needs to rebuild and refocus how it operates, including restructuring its manufacturing discipline, accelerating safety reforms, and getting critical commercial and defense programs back on track. Not an easy job considering how quickly all these things can change and the savagery of current competition.
Ortberg also brings deep credibility from his years running Rockwell Collins and United Technologies’ aerospace division. Those experiences give him the operational chops to reshape Boeing’s culture and execution at a time when the company needs to heal even as aviation demand is surging and geopolitical tensions are high.
