Rolls-Royce announces appointment of John Kelly to President Middle East, Türkiye and Africa

John Kelly has been appointed to the position of President – Middle East, Türkiye and Africa (META), with immediate effect. Before this role, Kelly spent six years as Senior Vice President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the Group’s Civil Aerospace business. He joined Rolls-Royce over twenty years ago, in 2001, as a graduate trainee in the defence business. He rose to become a senior manager before joining Civil Aerospace.

In his new role, Kelly will assume group-wide leadership and representation for the Group’s Civil Aerospace, Power Systems and Defence businesses across the META region, engaging with senior government and industry stakeholders.

Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land and employs over 150 people across Africa with an extensive reach across the region. 

Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace serves over 20 African airline customers across 15 countries. The company has over 50% market share in powering the African wide-body aircraft market, with engines installed on over 80 wide-body aircraft in service and another 30 on order. Since 2017, the company has supported the inception of three new airlines and delivered over 30 new aircraft. Rolls-Royce also powers a large proportion of the regional aircraft market, with over 95 aircraft in service.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems Africa provides world-class power solutions and complete life-cycle support and is headquartered in South Africa. The company supports Africa’s growing power generation, marine, rail and industrial sectors, providing vital power solutions to datacentres, mining, oil and gas, shipping, locomotive and agriculture companies across the continent.

Rolls-Royce Defence innovates power and propulsion solutions to meet operational requirements to protect, secure and explore. The company works closely with several African Governments, serving many defence forces.