Bell Helicopter appoints Lisa Atherton as new president and CEO

Textron has appointed Lisa Atherton as the new CEO of Bell Helicopter. Effective from April 28th, 2023, Atherton will take over from Mitch Synder, who retires after seven years in the role and nearly two decades with the helicopter manufacturer.

In January 2023, Atherton was appointed chief operating officer at Bell, after previously serving as president and CEO of Textron Systems from 2017. After joining Textron Defense Systems in 2007 and, in 2013, Atherton moved to Bell, where she held a number of leadership positions within Military Programs, including executive vice president, Military Business. A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, she served eight years at the US Air Force Air Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements.

Scott C Donnelly, Textron chairman and CEO, said: “Lisa has done an outstanding job of building strong teams at Bell and Textron Systems in her 16 years with the company and has earned the confidence of our customers. Under her leadership, Bell will continue its strong execution across military and commercial programs and I am confident that she will provide the strategic vision to generate future growth for Bell.”

Donnelly also thanked Synder for his leadership, after overseeing the development of new technologies and product innovations. Synder delivered “significant wins in Bell’s military business and the expansion of our commercial programmes”, he added.