Ron Draper

Textron Aviation

As president and chief executive officer, Ron Draper is the leader of Textron Aviation, encompassing the Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker brands.

Draper joined Textron in 1999 and has held various leadership roles in Textron business units through the years, including 13 years at Textron Aviation. His previous roles at Textron Aviation include senior vice president of Integrated Supply Chain (ISC); director of production control and logistics; and director of Supply Chain Management. Draper also served as vice president of Integrated Supply Chain and director of Strategic Sourcing for Textron Specialized Vehicles; and director of Procurement for the V-22 Osprey program at Bell Helicopter.

While serving as senior vice president of Integrated Supply Chain at Textron Aviation, Draper was responsible for overseeing the manufacturing operations for all Beechcraft and Cessna commercial products including the Beechcraft King Air and Cessna Citation lines. Seven different products – the Cessna Citation Latitude, Citation X+, Citation Sovereign+, Citation CJ3+, Citation M2, Cessna TTx and Cessna Grand Caravan EX – all achieved entry into service under his leadership in ISC.

Prior to joining Textron, Draper served as a Captain in the United States Army as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and company commander. His overseas assignments included tours in Bosnia, South Korea and Germany. Draper is also a fixed wing multi-engine commercial rated pilot and enjoys flying a broad range of Textron Aviation aircraft. Most recently, Draper received second in command (SIC) qualification in the 525 series of Citation jets.

Draper received a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy in 1990, and earned an MBA from Wichita State University in 2001.

An active member of the community, Draper serves on the boards of the Greater Wichita Partnership, General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Manufacturers. He is a frequent supporter of many community charitable causes including the company’s own employee led Uplift organization that assist employees and communities where Textron Aviation operates facilities.

Sessions

Keynote: Lightning Round with the CEOs
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
14:00-14:25 CEST
12:00-12:25 UTC
8 a.m. – 8:25 a.m. EDT