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Cobham appoints new CEO

The chairman, John Devaney, assumed the position of executive chairman while a search for Andy’s successor was conducted. Today, Cobham announced the successful completion of that process with the appointment of Robert (Bob) Murphy as chief executive officer of Cobham effective June 25.

Murphy is a seasoned aerospace and defence executive with a successful track record spanning more than 25 years working in the civil, commercial and defence sectors of the industry. He is a member of the executive committee of BAE Systems and currently executive vice president with responsibility for the global operations of the product sectors business for BAE Systems, Inc., which has annual revenue of some US$10 billion per annum and employs 25,000 people. The Product Sectors business has operations in the U.S., U.K., Sweden and South Africa and includes both the electronic systems and land and armaments sectors. The electronic systems sector, in addition to having a strong defence portfolio, also includes the legacy platform solutions sector, a leading provider of critical sub-systems for civil aircraft and transportation.

Before taking his current role, Murphy was president of the Land & Armaments business and previously held positions in BAE Systems, Inc. as chief financial officer and president of the legacy Technology Solutions Sector. He joined BAE Systems in 1999 after 18 years with GE, where he held numerous financial leadership positions, culminating in his role as CFO of the military engines operation of the GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) Group. Prior to that he spent eight years working in the commercial aircraft industry supporting GEAE.

Murphy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the Board of Visitors for the Clark School of Ref. #437