Ex-Pratt & Whitney president Chris Calio is promoted to RTX board 

In a long-planned leadership transition, aerospace and defense company RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies, Arlington, Va., U.S.) has announced that president and chief operating officer (CCO) Christopher T. Calio will succeed Gregory J. Hayes as chief executive officer (CEO) at the 2024 RTX Annual Shareowners Meeting scheduled for May 2. Hayes will continue to serve as executive chairman of RTX. Calio was also appointed to the company's board of directors effective as of Dec. 14, 2023.

“This announcement reflects the board’s deliberate, disciplined succession planning process,” chairman and CEO Greg Hayes says. “Chris has a deep understanding of the industry, our customers’ needs and our operations. I have every confidence in his ability to lead RTX and drive the company’s long-term success.”

As president and CCO of RTX, Calio oversees the company’s three business units, as well as its functions for technology, engineering, enterprise services, digital, operations, quality, supply chain and environment, health and safety. In 2023, Calio oversaw the realignment of RTX from four to three business segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. Prior to his current role, Calio was president of Pratt & Whitney, where he led the business that designs, manufactures and services aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. He joined the company in 2005 and held various leadership roles, driving significant transformational change throughout his tenure.

“I deeply value the board’s confidence in me and am grateful for the opportunity to lead the RTX team forward,” Calio notes. “I am honored to succeed Greg, who has built the best positioned portfolio in aerospace and defense. As a leadership team, we are focused on driving operational excellence and accelerating technological innovation as we deliver on the record backlog of customer demand and meet shareowner expectations.”

Responsible for leading 180,000 employees and $67 billion in annual sales, Hayes has been instrumental in creating a global organization focused on delivering innovative products and solutions for a safer, more connected world. 

Elected chairman of the board in 2021, Hayes had a nearly 21-year career at United Technologies Corp. (UTC), holding several senior leadership roles across finance, corporate strategy and business development, culminating with his appointment to CEO in 2014 and chairman in 2016. As CEO, Hayes led the reshaping of UTC from industrial conglomerate to a focused aerospace company. Beginning with the divestiture of Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015 and the acquisition of Rockwell Collins in 2018, Hayes continued to focus the business with the spinoffs of Otis Elevator Co. and Carrier Corp. in 2020. Hayes then led the merger of UTC’s remaining aerospace businesses, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace Systems, with Raytheon Company, to form RTX in April 2020.