Leanne Caret and Larry Culp are prominent American business leaders with long careers in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and large public companies. However, no authoritative source reviewed for this article documents a direct personal, family, or formal business relationship between them.
Their clearest connection is professional and industry-level. Caret spent more than three decades at Boeing and led Boeing Defense, Space & Security, while Culp now leads GE Aerospace, a major engine and aerospace systems supplier whose products are closely integrated with Boeing aircraft programs.
Who Are Leanne Caret and Larry Culp?
Leanne G. Caret is a former Boeing executive best known for serving as president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, commonly called BDS. Boeing appointed her to that position in March 2016 after she had already held a series of senior finance, program, services, and operational roles across the company.
H. Lawrence “Larry” Culp Jr. is chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. Before GE, he built much of his reputation at Danaher Corporation, where he served as president and CEO from 2001 to 2014. He joined GE’s board in 2018, became GE’s CEO later that year, took over leadership of GE Aerospace in 2022, and became chairman and CEO of the standalone GE Aerospace when it launched in April 2024.
| Person | Best-known executive role | Current or recent position, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Leanne Caret | President and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security | Senior adviser to Blackstone; director at RTX and Deere & Company |
| Larry Culp | Chairman and CEO, GE / GE Aerospace | Chairman and CEO, GE Aerospace |
| Main industry connection | Aerospace and defense | Aerospace propulsion, systems, manufacturing and services |
What Is the Connection Between Leanne Caret and Larry Culp?
The available evidence supports an industry connection rather than a documented direct relationship.
Caret’s career was centered on Boeing, particularly its defense, space and services businesses. Culp’s current role places him at the head of GE Aerospace, which supplies engines, systems and services used throughout the commercial and defense aviation markets.
No reliable biography, SEC filing, corporate board disclosure or official company announcement reviewed for this article identifies Caret and Culp as relatives, business partners, colleagues at the same employer, or members of the same corporate board. Their careers instead place them in overlapping parts of the U.S. aerospace and industrial ecosystem.
That distinction matters. Search results combining two executive names can sometimes make a relationship appear more significant than the underlying evidence supports.
Leanne Caret’s Career at Boeing
Caret spent roughly 34 years at Boeing, progressing through finance, program management, operations and senior executive leadership.
Before becoming head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, her positions included chief financial officer of BDS, vice president and general manager of Vertical Lift, president of Global Services & Support, and leadership roles involving Boeing’s H-47 helicopter programs. RTX’s 2026 proxy statement highlights her financial, manufacturing, supply-chain and aerospace experience when describing her qualifications as a director.
Boeing selected Caret to lead Defense, Space & Security effective March 1, 2016. At the time, Boeing described her as a 28-year company veteran who had most recently led Global Services & Support.
BDS covers a different part of Boeing than its commercial passenger-aircraft division. The business works across military aircraft, weapons, space, intelligence, security and government programs.
This is an important detail when examining a possible Caret-Culp connection. GE Aerospace works extensively with Boeing aircraft, but Caret was specifically responsible for Boeing’s defense and space organization rather than Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Caret’s Retirement From Boeing
Boeing announced in March 2022 that Caret would retire after nearly 35 years with the company. Ted Colbert was chosen to succeed her as president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Caret subsequently served as executive vice president and senior adviser at Boeing until December 2022, according to RTX’s corporate filings.
Her post-Boeing career has focused more heavily on corporate boards and advisory work.
What Is Leanne Caret Doing Now?
As of 2026, Caret remains active in corporate governance and business advisory positions.
RTX’s current corporate governance information identifies her as an independent director and a former Boeing executive. Its 2026 proxy lists her as chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Special Activities Committee, which includes oversight connected with classified programs, cybersecurity and certain technology risks.
She has served on the RTX board since 2023. RTX’s filings also identify her as a director of Deere & Company.
The United Service Organizations‘ current leadership profile lists Caret as a senior adviser to Blackstone and confirms her board positions at Deere and RTX. It also notes her involvement with organizations including the USO and Kansas State University Foundation.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where Caret is a trustee, similarly identifies her as a senior adviser to Blackstone and a director and audit committee chair at both Deere and RTX.
Larry Culp’s Career Before GE Aerospace
Larry Culp’s path to aerospace was different.
He spent approximately 25 years at Danaher Corporation, eventually serving as its president and CEO from 2001 through 2014. His work there became closely associated with the Danaher Business System, an operating model centered on continuous improvement and lean management principles.
After leaving Danaher, Culp held academic and advisory positions, including serving as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School.
He joined GE’s board in April 2018 and became chairman and CEO later that year. GE was then a sprawling industrial company facing substantial financial and operational challenges.
Under the restructuring that followed, GE was ultimately separated into three major independent businesses: GE HealthCare, GE Vernova and GE Aerospace. GE Aerospace states that the process also involved reducing GE’s debt by more than $100 billion.
Culp’s Move Into Aerospace
In June 2022, Culp assumed the additional position of CEO of what was then called GE Aviation. GE said the change was intended to give him closer involvement with the aerospace business as it prepared to become independent.
When GE Aerospace became a standalone public company in April 2024, Culp became its chairman and CEO.
His employment agreement was subsequently extended through December 31, 2027, with the possibility of continuing through 2028 by mutual agreement.
GE Aerospace continued to identify Culp as chairman and CEO in its 2026 investor communications.
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How Boeing Connects Larry Culp to the Same Industry as Leanne Caret
The strongest factual link between the careers of Leanne Caret and Larry Culp is the relationship between Boeing and GE Aerospace.
GE Aerospace and its joint ventures have long supplied engines and aircraft systems for Boeing platforms.
For example, GE Aerospace’s GE9X engine is the exclusive engine for Boeing’s 777X family. Its GEnx engines are used on Boeing 787 aircraft, while CFM International, the GE Aerospace and Safran joint venture, produces the LEAP-1B used exclusively on the Boeing 737 MAX.
In May 2026, Reuters reported that Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Larry Culp separately met Chinese officials following discussions involving potential purchases of Boeing aircraft and hundreds of GE Aerospace engines. The episode illustrated how closely the businesses of Boeing and GE Aerospace can be linked on major commercial aviation deals.
This corporate relationship should not, however, be converted into a claim that Caret and Culp personally worked together. Caret had left Boeing by the end of 2022, and the available sources do not document such a partnership.
Boeing Defense, GE Aerospace and RTX Are Not the Same Business
Another reason the keyword can be confusing is that Caret has connections to several major aerospace companies.
She formerly led Boeing Defense, Space & Security and now serves as an independent director at RTX Corporation, the parent company of businesses including Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace.
Larry Culp leads GE Aerospace.
GE Aerospace and RTX therefore operate in some competing markets, particularly aircraft propulsion and aerospace systems. At the same time, modern aerospace supply chains are complex enough that major manufacturers can be competitors in one area, suppliers in another and participants in broader industry partnerships elsewhere.
Caret’s RTX position is a board governance role. She is not RTX’s chief executive. That makes it inaccurate to describe Caret and Culp simply as rival CEOs today.
Their Leadership Backgrounds Are Quite Different
Although both executives reached the highest levels of large industrial companies, their careers developed differently.
Caret built almost her entire operating career inside Boeing. She moved through finance, aircraft programs, services and operations before leading a major aerospace and defense division.
Culp developed primarily through diversified industrial management at Danaher before taking responsibility for GE’s corporate restructuring and eventually moving directly into aerospace leadership.
One area of overlap is their focus on operations.
RTX says Caret’s board qualifications include substantial experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chains and risk management.
GE Aerospace emphasizes Culp’s use of FLIGHT DECK, the company’s lean operating model focused on continuous improvement across safety, quality, delivery and cost. GE’s 2026 proxy describes operational improvement through FLIGHT DECK as a major part of the company’s recent performance.
Their approaches developed in different organizations, but both careers have involved managing complex manufacturing businesses where execution, supply chains and program performance matter heavily.
Have Leanne Caret and Larry Culp Served on the Same Board?
No authoritative evidence reviewed for this article shows Caret and Culp serving together on the same corporate board.
Caret’s current major public-company directorships include RTX and Deere & Company.
Culp’s 2026 GE Aerospace proxy lists his current public-company boards as GE Aerospace and GE HealthCare.
Both have participated broadly in U.S. business, manufacturing and aerospace circles, so attendance at the same industry functions would not be surprising. That alone would not establish a substantive professional relationship without supporting records.
Are Leanne Caret and Larry Culp Related?
There is no credible evidence that Leanne Caret and Larry Culp are related.
Their publicly documented biographies show separate educational histories, employers and career paths. Searches of official company biographies, regulatory filings and board records do not identify any family relationship between them.
Claims of a family connection should therefore be treated as unsupported unless reliable new documentation emerges.
Publicly Disclosed Compensation Is Not the Same as Net Worth
Reliable public filings provide some compensation information, but they do not establish either executive’s personal net worth.
GE Aerospace’s 2026 proxy reported $45.6 million in SEC total compensation for Culp for 2025. That figure includes accounting values assigned to stock awards and other compensation components, so it should not be interpreted as $45.6 million of cash salary or take-home income. His base salary was listed at $2 million.
RTX reported $411,155 in total 2025 director compensation for Caret, including cash fees, stock awards and other compensation. This figure covers her RTX board service, not all income Caret may receive from other directorships or advisory positions.
Neither disclosure is a reliable basis for calculating personal net worth. Estimates published without verifiable information about private investments, liabilities, property and other assets should be treated cautiously.
Why Are Leanne Caret and Larry Culp Searched Together?
The pairing most likely reflects their overlapping relevance to aerospace and industrial leadership rather than a documented personal relationship.
Both names are associated with major U.S. companies, large manufacturing operations and aerospace. Caret’s Boeing career and current RTX board position put her close to the defense and aerospace sector, while Culp directly leads one of the world’s major aviation engine and systems companies.
Boeing and GE Aerospace also have extensive commercial ties. That makes the two executives contextually related in industry research even though available evidence does not establish a direct partnership between them.
The safest factual description is therefore simple: Leanne Caret and Larry Culp are separate senior business leaders whose careers intersect at the level of the U.S. aerospace and manufacturing industry.
FAQ
Are Leanne Caret and Larry Culp business partners?
There is no verified evidence that they are business partners. Their companies operate within the same aerospace ecosystem, but authoritative corporate records reviewed for this article do not identify a direct partnership between Caret and Culp.
Did Leanne Caret and Larry Culp work at Boeing together?
No. Caret spent more than three decades at Boeing. Culp’s major employers have included Danaher, General Electric and GE Aerospace.
Is Leanne Caret still with Boeing?
No. Boeing announced her retirement in 2022, and her Boeing employment ended in December of that year. She now holds board and advisory positions, including roles connected with RTX, Deere and Blackstone.
What company does Larry Culp lead in 2026?
Larry Culp is chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. The company became an independent public aerospace business in April 2024 following GE’s restructuring.
Are Leanne Caret and Larry Culp related by family?
No reliable public evidence indicates a family relationship. Their publicly documented backgrounds show separate professional and personal histories.
How are Boeing and GE Aerospace connected?
GE Aerospace supplies engines and aircraft systems used on multiple Boeing programs. Examples include the GE9X for the Boeing 777X, the GEnx for Boeing 787 aircraft, and the CFM LEAP-1B for the 737 MAX.
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