SAN FRANCISCO, July 31 -- Boeing announced on Wednesday its Board of Directors has elected Robert K. "Kelly" Ortberg as the company's new president and chief executive officer, effective Aug. 8.

Ortberg, who will also serve on Boeing's Board of Directors, will succeed Dave Calhoun, who earlier this year announced his intention to retire from the company, having served as president and CEO since January 2020, and as a member of the Board of Directors since 2009.

"The board conducted a thorough and extensive search process over the last several months to select the next CEO of Boeing and Kelly has the right skills and experience to lead Boeing in its next chapter," said Steven Mollenkopf, chair of Boeing's Board of Directors.

Mollenkopf also extended thanks to Calhoun for his "strong leadership" at Boeing, first as chair and then as CEO.

"I'm extremely honored and humbled to join this iconic company," said Ortberg, 64, adding that he is committed to working together with the more than 170,000 employees of the company, "with safety and quality at the forefront."

Ortberg began his career in 1983 as an engineer at Texas Instruments, and then joined Rockwell Collins in 1987 as a program manager and became its president and CEO in 2013.

Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Aptiv PLC, a global technology company and an industry leader in vehicle systems architecture. He is the former chair of the Aerospace Industries Association Board of Governors, according to Boeing.

  - Xinhua