RTX promotes its next tech chief from within
RTX will start 2024 with a new chief technology officer as it also prepares for the next CEO to move up as well.
RTX has promoted its chief technology officer from within the company's own ranks in Juan de Bedout, a two-decade industry veteran and currently leader of aerospace technology.
De Bedout's appointment takes efft Jan. 1 and he is slated to succeed current CTO Mark Russell, who will retire from RTX on that date after close to four decades at the company. He will continue in an advisory role, RTX said Tuesday.
This is the second major leadership transition RTX has announced within the past week, during which the company announced its current chief operating officer Chris Calio will succeed Greg Hayes as CEO in May.
As CTO, de Bedout will be responsible for progressing RTX's technology roadmaps and strategies with respect to its commercial aerospace and defense businesses. That includes leadership of RTX's technology and global engineering team, along with the company's technology research center and BBN Technologies subsidiary.
De Bedout joined the former United Technologies Corp. in the fall of 2018 as vice president of advanced technology after 18 years at General Electric.
Since UTC merged into what is now RTX in 2020, he has worked with the company's business units to shape the technology vision and strategy with respect to commercial offerings. He also helps lead work to identify and apply technology synergies and best practices across RTX.