Textron announced Wednesday that Lisa Atherton will succeed Scott C. Donnelly as president and CEO on Jan. 4, 2026. Atherton currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the company’s Bell segment. She will also join the Board of Directors, while Donnelly will become executive chairman, leading the board and advising the CEO on company matters.
R. Kerry Clark, the company’s lead director, said the board’s decision followed a “comprehensive succession planning process,” adding that Atherton’s leadership across multiple business units has been instrumental in the company’s growth.
“We witnessed Lisa play a key role in driving growth across her businesses and winning critical programs,” Clark said.
He also praised Donnelly’s 17-year tenure as CEO, noting his “strategic vision and strong connection to our products, operations and customers.” Clark said Donnelly’s emphasis on developing internal talent “strongly supported our succession planning” and positioned the company for continued success.
Atherton, who has spent 18 years at Textron, said she was honored by the appointment.
“I have had the honor of working in a variety of businesses and functions during my eighteen-year tenure at Textron, gaining a deep understanding of our customers, experiencing our high-performing culture and growing our extraordinary talent,” she said.
Donnelly added that he looks forward to “working with Lisa and the Company in my role as Executive Chair.”
This announcement comes in the midst of other recent corporate-level shifts at Textron. The company said in an Oct. 16 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it would dissolve its Textron eAviation division – formed in 2022 following the company’s acquisition of Pipstrel – and move most of the division’s programs to its Textron Aviation division.
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