Textron announced this morning that Lisa Atherton will succeed Mitch Snyder as CEO of Bell Helicopter, effective April 28. Snyder is retiring after serving as CEO for more than seven years and nearly 20 years with the company.
Atherton was president and CEO of Textron Systems from 2017 until January 2023, when she was named COO at Bell. She joined Textron Defense Systems in 2007 and, in 2013, transitioned to Bell and held a number of leadership positions within military programs, including as executive v-p of military business. Atherton graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served for eight years at the USAF Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements.
“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,” said Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly. “I also want to thank Mitch for his leadership. During his tenure, Mitch oversaw the development of new technologies and product innovations, significant wins in Bell’s military business, and the expansion of our commercial programs.”
Under Snyder’s leadership, Bell certified its 505 light turbine single helicopter, recently won the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract, and is finishing certification of its 525 super-medium twin civil helicopter. It also began work on its Nexus advanced air mobility aircraft before that program was transitioned to Textron’s newly-created eAviation division and launched a variety of other new technology investigation programs, including an electrically-distributed anti-torque system that has flown on a modified Bell 429.