Before this role, John spent six years as Senior Vice President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the Group’s Civil Aerospace business.

John 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, John 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 widebody aircraft market, with engines installed on over 80 widebody 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.

John 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, John is committed to growing partnerships across Africa, reflecting Rolls-Royce’s core engineering and technological innovations.