Christopher Calio, president and chief operating officer of RTX (NYSE: RTX), has been elected to the Arlington, Virginia-based aerospace and defense company’s board of directors and will assume the role of CEO in May.
He will succeed Gregory Hayes, who will continue to serve as RTX’s executive chairman, the company said Thursday.
“Today’s announcement reflects the board’s deliberate, disciplined succession planning process,” Hayes said of the leadership transition, which will occur at the company’s annual shareholders meeting set for May 2.
Hayes added that Calio deeply understands the needs of customers, industry and the company’s operations and that he is confident in the executive’s ability to lead and drive growth at RTX.
Calio recently led RTX’s efforts to realign its four businesses into three segments – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon.
Prior to his current position, he previously served as president of Pratt & Whitney. In 2005, he joined the former United Technologies Corp. as an assistant counsel and held multiple leadership roles.
