Putting people first – Textron Aviation’s outgoing CEO
When Ron Draper took over as CEO and president of Textron Aviation, he told CJI that he had one mission. It was not about raising profit margins or creating more shareholder value.
“My main aim is to reconnect the staff of Textron Aviation with their passion,” said Draper in a 2019 CJI Magazine cover story. “There are a lot of passionate people here, but I want everyone to be passionate about coming to work; to rediscover why they joined the company, whether it is a love of airplanes, engineering or a passion for accounting. This is my top priority.”
On Monday he will retire to be replaced by Brian Rohloff. But Draper can retire knowing that he did make many of Textron Aviation’s 11,000 team even more passionate about the company. Culture is the hardest thing to change at any company, but he did achieve this.
“Ron is an exceptional leader who really values people and I really enjoyed working with him,” says one Textron executive. “The company has a very positive vibe which is different to when he took over.”
Another senior manager told us: “Ron is a great guy to work with. He championed the human side of the company and people being legendary and it worked. Textron is much more like a family company now and a more enjoyable place to work.”
Draper leaves the company in a very strong position. At the end of 2018 it had a $1.8bn backlog, at the end of June it was $8bn. But it is noteworthy that Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Textron also did not focus on numbers in the press release. “I want to thank Ron for his outstanding leadership and many contributions to Textron throughout his career. Under his guidance, Textron Aviation strengthened its position as an industry leader, expanded its product portfolio and fostered a culture centred on pride, quality and safety.”
Brian Rohloff.
Draper is not the sort of person who fishes for compliments. People who work with him say that he is extremely humble. He is probably not enjoying everyone saying nice things about him. Draper describes himself as a “farm kid from Idaho” and says serving as president and CEO has been “the greatest honour of my career”.
“What I will be most proud of is the incredible people who make this company what it is every day,” said Draper in a statement. “Together, we’ve navigated challenges, celebrated successes and continued advancing aviation while staying true to our commitment to our customers, communities and each other. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this team, and I have tremendous confidence in Brian and the future of Textron Aviation.”
Like Draper, Rohloff is taking over a company he knows well. A graduate of Wichita State University, he has been with Textron Aviation for 29 years and served in a wide variety of roles including: vice president, quality; vice president, sales; senior product director for the Citation XLS+ and Citation X; and director of paint operations. His last job before becoming president is senior vice president customer support.
“Brian is a proven leader who brings a deep understanding of our business, our products, our customers and our industry,” said Atherton.
“Anyone who knows him knows that Brian is so passionate about Textron Aviation, its products and its customers. He will be a great fit,” says one Textron Aviation executive.
Being the CEO of an aircraft manufacturer is a complicated, stressful job. Draper had to manage the company through Covid, the post-Covid supply chain challenges and a strike in 2024.
But Rohloff has a lot of things to look forward to next year. Not many people get to be CEO of a company when it celebrates its 100th birthday.
