Clyde Woltman is the new CEO of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., replacing William Hunt, who is retiring after serving as CEO since 2013. Hunt will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.
Woltman joined the company in 2019 as president of Leonardo Helicopters U.S., overseeing all U.S. government rotorcraft business, including winning the TH-73A trainer contract from the U.S. Navy in 2020. He previously served in a variety of defense-related positions, including that of executive director of defense advanced programs for Aerojet Rocketdyne and director of Navy and Marine Corps programs for Pratt & Whitney supporting the F135 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
He is a retired Marine Corps aviator who commanded multiple combat units, personally flew more than 200 combat missions, and held staff officer positions at the Pentagon and NATO. Woltman also holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and a master's in geopolitical studies from the University of Paris Sorbonne.
“It is an exciting time for the company, we have the opportunity to grow tremendously in both the civil/para-public and defense markets,” Woltman said.
“Our helicopter industrial presence in the U.S. is entering a new chapter in our more than 40-year history in America,” said Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo.
Hunt oversaw the rapid growth of Leonardo’s sprawling Philadelphia production plant, where its AW119 and AW139 models are assembled. It also hosts the AW609 civil tiltrotor program. Under Hunt’s tenure, the facility added substantial product support, engineering, and training resources, including a new $80 million training center that opened last year. He first joined the company in 2006 as v-p of production operations after spending 21 years with Boeing Rotorcraft Systems.