Kelly Ortberg

Overview

Kelly Ortberg
Born	1960 (age 65–66) Dubuque, Iowa, United States
Citizenship	United States
Education	Mechanical engineering
Alma mater	University of Iowa (BS, mechanical engineering, 1982)
Occupation(s)	Aerospace engineer and business executive
Employer	The Boeing Company
Known for	Chief executive of Boeing; former chief executive of Rockwell Collins and Collins Aerospace
Title	President and chief executive officer of Boeing
Term	2024–present
Predecessor	David Calhoun
Board member of	Boeing (board of directors); Aptiv PLC; former director of RTX Corporation
Spouse	Valerie Dee Heitman (m. 1983)
Children	2 daughters
Awards	University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Award (2018)
Website	https://www.boeing.com/company/bios/kelly-ortberg

✈️ Kelly Ortberg (born April 1960) is an American aerospace engineer and business executive who became president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company in August 2024. Over a four-decade career in aviation and aerospace, he previously led avionics supplier Rockwell Collins, served as chief executive of Collins Aerospace after its creation within United Technologies, and sat on the board of RTX Corporation before being recruited out of semi-retirement to run Boeing during a period of intense scrutiny over safety and quality.

🧭 Career overview. Ortberg joined the aerospace sector in the late 1980s and rose through a succession of technical and managerial roles at Rockwell Collins, ultimately becoming its president in 2012 and chief executive officer in 2013. Under his leadership, the company expanded its avionics and communications portfolio, completed the $8.3 billion acquisition of B/E Aerospace, and was subsequently acquired by United Technologies, where its activities were combined with UTC Aerospace Systems to form Collins Aerospace, of which he became chief executive.

🛡️ Leadership focus. In his later career, Ortberg became known for an emphasis on engineering discipline, operational reliability, and collaborative management. At Boeing he has placed safety and quality at the centre of corporate priorities as the company seeks to recover from the 737 MAX crises and a series of manufacturing setbacks, while investors and regulators scrutinise whether his back-to-basics approach can restore confidence in one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers.

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Early life and education

🎓 Midwestern upbringing. Robert “Kelly” Ortberg was born in April 1960 in Dubuque, Iowa, into a middle-class Midwestern family; his father worked for the John Deere tractor company and his mother was a homemaker raising Ortberg and his three siblings. He later described his childhood as closely resembling the world portrayed in the television series The Wonder Years, stressing lessons about humility and “working hard to earn your keep” that shaped his outlook as an adult executive.

🏕️ Scouting and early leadership. As a boy, Ortberg was active in the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, an experience he has credited with instilling early lessons in leadership, responsibility, and self-discipline. He has remarked that the challenges of scouting, from outdoor expeditions to team projects, provided a practical training ground in decision-making and perseverance that he continued to draw upon decades later in corporate life.

🛠️ Engineering ambitions. Demonstrating an aptitude for science and mechanics, Ortberg studied mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1982. He has remained a closely engaged alumnus, returning to campus to speak with students, serve on engineering advisory boards, and support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives, often describing engineering as a foundation for a “satisfying career” in industry.

🔧 Choice of industry. There was no abrupt “career pivot” in Ortberg’s youth; rather, a sustained enthusiasm for engineering guided his professional decisions. One of the more consequential choices came early, when he moved from the semiconductor business into aviation electronics, a shift that placed him on a path toward leadership roles in the aerospace sector and, ultimately, stewardship of some of its largest companies.

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Early career and Rockwell Collins

💼 From Texas Instruments to Rockwell Collins. Ortberg began his professional career in 1983 as an engineer at Texas Instruments before transitioning in 1987 to Rockwell Collins, an aviation electronics and communications company, where he joined as a programme manager. The move marked his entry into avionics and defence electronics, positioning him at the intersection of complex hardware, software, and aircraft integration work.

📡 Advancement through technical and managerial roles. Over the following two decades, Ortberg progressed through a series of leadership positions at Rockwell Collins, including heading the communication systems business. Colleagues and industry observers credited him with strong technical understanding and an ability to manage complex projects, qualities that helped him guide the development and launch of new avionics and communications products used in both commercial and military applications.

🛰️ Major aircraft programmes. During this period, Ortberg oversaw Rockwell Collins’ participation in high-profile aircraft programmes such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 XWB, and the Bombardier CSeries. The company leveraged advances in software and integrated systems to secure key roles on these jets, and Ortberg’s ability to win new business on such platforms was widely regarded as a factor in his rise within the organisation.

📈 Reputation for results. By the early 2000s, Ortberg had developed a reputation inside Rockwell Collins for delivering projects on schedule and helping to set the strategic direction of the company’s product portfolio. Executives cited his contributions to systems that, in their view, “transformed” aspects of commercial and military operations, reinforcing his standing as a leader capable of balancing engineering rigour with commercial priorities.

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Rockwell Collins, B/E Aerospace acquisition, and Collins Aerospace

🏢 Elevation to chief executive. Ortberg was named president of Rockwell Collins in September 2012 and, less than a year later, was appointed chief executive officer. As CEO from 2013 to 2018, he oversaw a period of growth in which the company’s annual revenues rose to around US$9 billion, a performance driven by both organic expansion of its avionics and communications franchises and a willingness to pursue large strategic transactions.

🛋️ Acquisition of B/E Aerospace. The most prominent deal of Ortberg’s Rockwell tenure was the 2017 acquisition of aircraft-interiors specialist B/E Aerospace for approximately US$8.3 billion. The transaction expanded Rockwell Collins beyond cockpit and communication systems into seating, cabin management, and other interior products, effectively tripling the company’s content on a typical jetliner. Ortberg framed the deal in terms of a future in which “everything is going to become a smart device,” arguing that integrated, digitally connected aircraft would generate new value for airlines and passengers.

🧩 Sale to United Technologies. In 2018, Rockwell Collins itself agreed to be acquired by United Technologies Corp (UTC), in one of the largest aerospace mergers to date. Ortberg later acknowledged that he had once considered growing Rockwell Collins to a size that might deter takeovers, but ultimately he negotiated the sale and then led the integration of Rockwell Collins with UTC’s Aerospace Systems unit.

🚀 Creation of Collins Aerospace. The combination of Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems produced Collins Aerospace, a new business with roughly US$23 billion in annual sales and a broad portfolio spanning avionics, interiors, actuation systems, and other aircraft components. Ortberg became chief executive of Collins Aerospace, managing the integration of technologies and teams amid speculation that the enlarged supplier’s scale could alter the balance of power with aircraft manufacturers.

🏛️ Role within RTX and transition to advisory work. When UTC merged with Raytheon in 2020 to create RTX Corporation, Collins Aerospace became one of the new group’s core businesses, and Ortberg helped guide it through the transition before stepping down from day-to-day executive duties in 2021. He remained involved at the corporate level as a member of the RTX board of directors from 2019 to 2024 and subsequently served as a special adviser to the company’s chief executive, marking a shift from operational leadership to strategic oversight and advisory work.

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Leadership of Boeing

Appointment as chief executive

🧩 Recruitment during a crisis. In July 2024, Boeing’s board of directors announced that Ortberg would become president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company, effective 8 August 2024, succeeding David Calhoun. His appointment made him the first Boeing chief executive in the company’s modern history to come from outside its own management ranks, reflecting the board’s desire for an experienced aerospace leader who could bring a fresh perspective to longstanding safety and quality concerns.

🏙️ Relocation to Seattle and cultural signals. Upon taking the post, Ortberg also joined Boeing’s board and chose to base himself in the Seattle area, close to the company’s primary commercial aircraft manufacturing facilities, even though Boeing’s headquarters had been relocated to Virginia. Boeing disclosed that it spent about US$300,000 to support his move, and commentators interpreted the decision as a symbolic reversal of two decades in which top executives had distanced themselves from the factories, suggesting a renewed emphasis on engineering and production culture.

Safety and quality agenda

⚙️ Inherited challenges. Ortberg assumed leadership of Boeing in the shadow of the 2018–2019 737 MAX crashes, which killed 346 people and triggered a twenty-month global grounding of the aircraft, as well as subsequent manufacturing problems including a mid-air panel failure on a 737 MAX in 2023 and delays to programmes such as the Starliner space capsule. From the outset, he stressed that “safety and quality” had to be at the forefront of every decision, telling employees and investors that Boeing was in a “difficult position” and that repairing its culture and processes would be a top priority.

🏛️ Senate oversight and safety plan. In early 2025 Ortberg testified before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at a hearing focused on aviation safety, appearing with families of crash victims seated behind him. He reiterated Boeing’s pledge to ensure that such accidents “never, never happen again” and outlined a comprehensive safety improvement plan that Boeing had submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, addressing systemic issues in manufacturing oversight and quality control.

🧱 Operational changes on the factory floor. Under Ortberg’s direction, Boeing launched a wide-ranging internal programme to solicit and implement safety improvements from employees, receiving more than 26,000 suggestions and acting on many of them. The company increased hands-on training by hundreds of hours for its manufacturing workforce and introduced new proficiency checks under which employees have to demonstrate that they can perform critical tasks to standard or undergo additional instruction if they fall short. Ortberg described these measures as “sweeping changes to the people, processes, and overall structure” of Boeing that were meant to embed safety more deeply in everyday operations.

📉 Cautious approach to production rates. In exchanges with lawmakers and investors, Ortberg has emphasised that Boeing will not accelerate aircraft production simply to meet short-term financial targets. When asked at the 2025 Senate hearing whether the company would ramp up output solely to improve its finances, he replied that Boeing would not increase production “if the performance isn’t indicating a stable production system,” signalling a deliberate shift away from strategies that critics said had prioritised speed over thoroughness in the years leading up to the 737 MAX crisis.

Operational and financial impact

📊 Stabilisation of programmes and deliveries. Although Ortberg’s tenure at Boeing remained relatively short by 2025, there were early indications of operational stabilisation. Production of the 737 MAX, which had been constrained by quality concerns and regulatory oversight, moved towards a rate of roughly 38 aircraft per month, and deliveries of new jets began to improve, helping Boeing to start recovering from several years of heavy losses that followed the grounding and subsequent disruptions.

💹 Market reaction and financial trajectory. Financial commentators noted that Boeing’s share price rose by about 20 per cent over the course of 2025, modestly outperforming the S&P 500 index, and attributed part of the improvement to the company’s more disciplined approach to production and delivery under Ortberg. Analyses also pointed to early signs of improvement in free cash flow and margins as the turnaround plan gained traction, while cautioning that the company still faced significant debt and unresolved regulatory scrutiny.

🏦 Board support and long-term mandate. Boeing’s board signalled confidence in Ortberg by supporting his safety-first strategy even when it implied slower near-term production growth and by waiving the company’s customary mandatory retirement age of 65 for the chief executive so that he could serve beyond his 65th birthday in 2025. The move underscored the board’s view that a longer-term mandate would be required to complete the cultural and operational reforms needed to restore Boeing’s standing.

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Financial profile and wealth

💼 Boeing compensation package. On his appointment as Boeing’s chief executive in 2024, Ortberg received an annual base salary of US$1.5 million, a target annual bonus of US$3 million and target long-term equity awards valued at US$17.5 million per year. To entice him out of semi-retirement, Boeing also granted a cash signing bonus of US$1.25 million and equity awards worth roughly US$16 million, split between restricted stock units and stock options that vest over several years, giving him a sizeable stake in the company’s future performance.

📈 Initial earnings as chief executive. Public filings and news reports indicated that for his first several months on the job in 2024, Ortberg earned about US$18.4 million in total compensation, reflecting partial-year salary, incentive opportunities and upfront share-based awards. Commentators estimated that his ongoing annual pay for a full year at Boeing, assuming targets were met, would likely fall in the low-US$20 millions, broadly in line with compensation packages for chief executives of comparable large industrial firms.

💰 Accumulated wealth and shareholdings. Before joining Boeing, Ortberg had already built substantial personal wealth through his equity holdings and executive roles at Rockwell Collins, United Technologies and RTX. Independent estimates in 2025 placed his net worth in at least the tens of millions of dollars, with one analysis suggesting a figure of around US$37 million, largely tied to his share ownership in RTX and other stock-based awards accumulated over his career. At RTX, filings showed him holding roughly 130,000 shares, and he began to accumulate Boeing shares through the equity component of his new compensation package, though his stake remained well below one per cent of the company’s outstanding stock.

🏛️ Other board roles and income sources. In addition to his executive posts, Ortberg has served on boards and industry bodies that provide additional, though comparatively modest, income in the form of director fees and stock units. He has been a director of Aptiv PLC, an automotive technology company, and was a member of the Aerospace Industries Association’s board of governors, as well as a participant in organisations such as the Business Roundtable, which brings together senior corporate leaders.

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Personal life and interests

🏡 Family and private life. Ortberg married his college sweetheart, the former Valerie Dee Heitman, on 13 August 1983, and the couple have two daughters. Despite frequent relocations and the demands of senior corporate roles, he has often described his family as a stabilising influence, and colleagues have remarked that his Midwestern upbringing is reflected in a personal style that emphasises approachability, modesty and loyalty to long-standing relationships.

⛳ Golf and leisure. Outside of work, Ortberg is an enthusiastic golfer and has said that the game “keeps you very humble,” noting that on the course “there’s only one person to get credit or blame for the results.” He has described golf as one of the few settings where he can switch off his mobile phone, spend time with close friends and “search for that great round,” while also drawing parallels between the focus and discipline required in golf and the skills needed to lead large organisations.

🎓 Support for education and STEM. Ortberg has been an active supporter of education, particularly in engineering and technology. He has served on the University of Iowa’s Engineering Advisory Board and on the board of the FIRST Foundation, which promotes youth robotics competitions, frequently urging young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. He has stated that his “end goal is to inspire more youth to look to science, technology, and math as an enabler to a satisfying career,” a theme that recurs in his public remarks to students and early-career engineers.

🧩 Management style and reputation. In professional settings, Ortberg is generally described as pragmatic and even-keeled rather than theatrical, with a collaborative approach that emphasises team performance and methodical decision-making. Former colleagues and industry analysts have characterised him as “deeply respected” in aerospace circles, noting that he tends to credit his teams for successes while being firm on issues related to safety and integrity; one analyst remarked at the time of his Boeing appointment that he brought “more hope for a better future” to the company than it had enjoyed in decades.

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Controversies and challenges

✈️ Legacy of the 737 MAX crisis. Although Ortberg has not been personally implicated in major scandals, his tenure at Boeing is inevitably shaped by the company’s earlier failings with the 737 MAX, including two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to a global grounding of the aircraft and a deferred prosecution agreement in which Boeing admitted to fraud conspiracy for misleading regulators. He must also contend with heightened regulatory scrutiny following incidents such as a 2023 in-flight structural failure on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX and continued oversight of Boeing’s safety culture.

⚖️ Public scrutiny and hearings. The April 2025 Senate hearing on aviation safety placed Ortberg under intense public scrutiny, with some senators invoking Boeing’s founding values and urging a fundamental cultural reset. Family members of crash victims displayed photographs of their loved ones behind him during his testimony, underscoring the human consequences of safety failures. Observers noted that Ortberg adopted a sober, contrite tone, acknowledging past shortcomings and focusing on specific remedial steps rather than offering defensive justifications, though critics continued to argue that Boeing had “much work to do.”

💣 Balancing safety reforms and financial pressures. Ortberg’s insistence on prioritising safety and quality has entailed slowing production in some programmes and investing in additional training and oversight, measures that weigh on near-term financial results. Boeing had accumulated more than US$25 billion in losses since 2019 and carried significant debt, and there has been pressure from some investors to restore profitability rapidly; Ortberg has had to balance these expectations against the risks of reverting to practices that contributed to the 737 MAX crisis.

🏙️ Community reactions to earlier deals. During his earlier tenure at Rockwell Collins, the decision to sell the company to United Technologies prompted concern in parts of Iowa over the loss of an independent local corporate headquarters. Some community members lamented the consolidation, while others viewed the deal as a pragmatic response to consolidation trends in aerospace supply chains. Ortberg acknowledged that he had not originally expected Rockwell Collins to be acquired but argued that the combination positioned its technologies for long-term competitiveness within a larger group.

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Legacy and assessment

🕰️ Late-career return to frontline leadership. After stepping back from executive roles at RTX in 2021, Ortberg shifted towards board and advisory work and was widely regarded as entering a more reflective phase of his career. His 2024 appointment as Boeing’s chief executive was thus seen by some commentators as a late-career return to the “front line” of industry, with one publication characterising it as an abrupt re-entry into the game at a moment when Boeing required an experienced aerospace leader willing to take on a particularly high-stakes turnaround challenge.

🌽 Continuing ties to Iowa and recognition. Despite his global responsibilities, Ortberg has maintained close ties to his home state and alma mater, frequently returning to the University of Iowa to speak with students and participate in alumni events. In 2018 the university recognised his professional achievements and service to education with a Distinguished Alumni Award, and subsequent coverage of his Boeing appointment highlighted him as a “hometown Hawkeye” who had risen from an Iowa engineering education to lead one of the world’s most prominent aerospace companies.

🧬 Identity and professional image. Official documents often list Ortberg as Robert K. Ortberg, but he has long gone by his middle name, “Kelly,” reportedly in part to distinguish himself from his father, who shares his first name. Industry peers and analysts have noted that his background as a practising engineer resonates with many Boeing employees, particularly those in the company’s design and manufacturing centres, who welcomed the return of an engineering-trained chief executive physically based near the factories after two decades in which top leadership was headquartered elsewhere.

🛩️ Prospects for Boeing under his leadership. Commentators have suggested that Ortberg’s combination of technical experience, integration of large aerospace businesses and emphasis on safety gives Boeing a chance to rebuild trust with regulators, airlines and the flying public. At the same time, they caution that his ultimate legacy will depend on whether Boeing can achieve sustained improvements in product quality, meet environmental and competitive challenges, and deliver consistent financial performance—outcomes that will likely take years to evaluate fully.

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