Brian Rohloff named new CEO of Textron Aviation.
After eight years as president and CEO of Textron Aviation, Ron Draper is retiring, and longtime leader Brian Rohloff, former senior vice president of customer support, is assuming the role, the company announced.
The change is effective Aug. 31. Draper will remain with the Wichita-based company through the end of 2026 as a senior advisor.
Draper joined the company in 1999 as director of supply chain management. After a four-year hiatus in which he served at Bell and Textron Specialized Vehicles, he returned to hold positions as director of production control and logistics and senior vice president of integrated supply chain before replacing Scott Ernest as president and CEO in Oct. 2018.
“I want to thank Ron for his outstanding leadership and many contributions to Textron throughout his career,” says Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Textron, Textron Aviation’s parent company. “Under his guidance, Textron Aviation strengthened its position as an industry leader, expanded its product portfolio and fostered a culture centered on pride, quality and safety. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best in retirement.”
Rohloff joined what was then Cessna Aircraft Co., now Textron Aviation, in 2009 as production manager and has held a variety of leadership roles, including vice president of quality, vice president of sales, senior product director for the Citation XLS and Citation X lines and director of paint operations.
“Brian is a proven leader who brings a deep understanding of our business, our products, our customers and our industry,” Atherton says. “Throughout his 29-year career with Textron Aviation, Brian has demonstrated strong leadership across multiple functions and has built trusted relationships with employees, customers and suppliers. I am confident he will continue to build on Textron Aviation’s strong foundation and drive the business for growth and continued success.”
Under Draper’s leadership, Textron Aviation achieved a lengthy list of innovations and product milestones. Among them are FAA certification for the Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet, Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine utility turboprop and Citation Ascend midsize business jet, development of Gen3 iterations of the Citation M2, CJ3 and CJ4 and modernization of the King Air turboprop line. It added technological and safety innovations, such as the addition of the Garmin Emergency Autoland on the Gen3 jet lines and was the first business jet manufacturer to offer Gogo Galileo satellite internet across its Citation lineup.
In 2022 Textron Aviation expanded with the acquisition of Slovenia-based Pipistrel to form Textron eAviation, a new electric aircraft division. In 2026 the company accepted an Aviation Week Laureate Award for workforce investment in a new $40 million integrated Career & Learning Center.
He also guided the company through a number of challenges, incuding the pandemic, supply chain shortages and a month-long strike in 2024 by members of its Machinists union.
“Serving as president and CEO of Textron Aviation has been the greatest honor of my career,” Draper says, adding that he is most proud of the “incredible people who make this company what it is every day. 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.”
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