Rolls-Royce appoints John Kelly as new Africa lead

Rolls-Royce has appointed John Kelly to the position of president – Middle East, Türkiye and Africa (META). 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.

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.

Kelly 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.

Speaking about the new appointment, Kelly said “Africa is the world’s second-most populous continent and on target to become the first to grow its economies solely through modern technologies and sustainable low-carbon energy sources. This rapidly developing and innovative region is vital to Rolls-Royce’s future. I will aim to ensure we build upon our foundations while supporting transformative economic growth, climate resilience and an energy transition that is right for Africa.

“While we are renowned for excellence in civil aerospace, we will leverage opportunities for all the Rolls-Royce businesses, providing safety-critical power and propulsion solutions for Africa’s major infrastructure projects and industrial customers. Our technology can play a fundamental role in enabling the transition to a low carbon global economy.”

With bold ambitions for the future, Kelly is committed to growing partnerships across Africa, reflecting Rolls-Royce’s core engineering and technological innovations.