Rockwell Collins division leaders rotate

A reorganization unveiled Friday at Rockwell Collins aims to bring fresh perspectives to the business by rotating executive leadership assignments.

The reorganization also will rename and redefine the role of Rockwell Collins Services, the division that provides service and support for Rockwell Collins products. It will become International and Service Solutions, and will consist of the Technical Service Solutions business and International Business organization.

Rockwell Collins spokeswoman Pam Tvrdy said the change was partly due to the nature of the Rockwell Collins Services business, which had most of its locations outside the United States.

The Simulation and Training Solutions business, which expanded last year with the acquisition of SEOS, will become part of Government Systems, and report directly to the unit's executive vice president. That change partly reflects the makeup of the simulation business' customers, which is heavily skewed toward government defense departments.

Greg Churchill, 52, now the executive vice president in charge of Government Systems, becomes executive vice president of the International and Service and Solutions business that was formerly Rockwell Collins Services.

Kelly Ortberg, 49, now executive vice president of Commercial Systems, will take over Churchill's current role over Government Systems.

Kent Statler, 44, presently executive vice president of Rockwell Collins Services, will take over Ortberg's current role over Commercial Systems.

Chairman and CEO Clay Jones made it clear in the announcement that he likes all three leaders, but would like fresh perspectives on each organization within the company.

“These moves will promote even greater teamwork and integration across our company, serve as a catalyst for new thinking, and further develop the leadership skills and experience of these key individuals,” Jones wrote in a memo to employees.

Some corporations rotate executives as part of a succession planning strategy for their top leadership role, in an effort to give executives a broader view of their corporation and see how they perform in different roles. That was not the case in Rockwell Collins' reorganization, Tvrdy said, although one goal was for the executives to increase their knowledge about the organization.

Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins is a major global supplier of communications and aviations electronics for the aerospace industry and defense markets.