Rodolphe Saadé and Greg Hayes are major business figures associated with global transportation, aerospace, logistics, and complex multinational operations, but there is no verified public evidence of a direct business partnership or significant personal relationship between them. Saadé remains Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, while Hayes has moved on from executive leadership at RTX and now holds major corporate board positions.
The similarity between their profiles can make searches for rodolphe saade and greg hayes appear more connected than the underlying public record supports. Their careers do intersect at an industry level, particularly around aviation, transportation infrastructure, international trade, supply chains, and large-scale corporate strategy, but those overlaps should not be mistaken for evidence of a transaction or partnership between the two men.
Rodolphe Saadé and Greg Hayes: Is There a Verified Connection?
There is currently no publicly documented deal, joint company, board position, investment, family relationship, or announced strategic partnership directly linking Rodolphe Saadé with Greg Hayes.
Official CMA CGM governance information identifies Saadé as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, while current records for Hayes describe him as a former RTX leader who now serves as Lead Independent Director of Phillips 66 and as a director of Becton, Dickinson and Company. None of these records identifies the other man as a business partner.
That distinction matters. Both executives have operated around aviation and global transportation, but being active in connected industries does not by itself establish a personal or corporate relationship.
| Area | Rodolphe Saadé | Greg Hayes |
|---|---|---|
| Best known for | Leading CMA CGM | Leading UTC, Raytheon Technologies and RTX |
| Main industry | Shipping, logistics, ports, air freight, media | Aerospace and defense |
| Current primary status | Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM | Corporate director and former RTX executive |
| Major current board role outside former core company | CMA CGM governance and related investments | Lead Independent Director, Phillips 66; BD director |
| Direct relationship with the other | No verified public relationship found | No verified public relationship found |
Who Is Rodolphe Saadé?
Rodolphe Saadé is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics organizations. Born in Lebanon in 1970, he studied business and marketing at Concordia University in Montreal before establishing a water-dispenser business and joining CMA CGM in 1994.
His career developed almost entirely within the family-founded transportation group. Saadé managed several shipping lines, later oversaw major international routes and became Vice Chairman and a member of the company’s board.
A particularly important period came during CMA CGM’s financial restructuring. He subsequently led major strategic projects including the acquisition of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines and negotiations surrounding the OCEAN Alliance shipping agreement.
Saadé became CEO in 2017 and later succeeded his father, CMA CGM founder Jacques Saadé, as Chairman.
How Saadé expanded CMA CGM beyond container shipping
One of the defining features of Saadé’s leadership has been diversification. CMA CGM is no longer simply a container carrier.
The group acquired control of CEVA Logistics in 2019, giving it a much larger presence in contract logistics and freight management. It later expanded through acquisitions involving businesses such as Ingram Micro’s Commerce & Lifecycle Services activities, GEFCO, Colis Privé and Bolloré Logistics.
CMA CGM also created CMA CGM AIR CARGO in 2021, moving directly into air freight. Its broader operations now extend across maritime transportation, logistics, terminals, air cargo and media.
Current CMA CGM information describes a global operation spanning more than 400 offices, approximately 1,000 warehouses and a fleet numbering hundreds of vessels, with services reaching hundreds of commercial ports.
CMA CGM’s financial scale under Saadé
CMA CGM reported $54.4 billion in revenue for 2025, with EBITDA of $10.6 billion. Its container-shipping operations transported 24.2 million TEU during the year. Logistics generated $18.3 billion of revenue.
Growth continued into 2026. For the second quarter of 2026, CMA CGM reported:
- $15.7 billion in group revenue
- $3.0 billion in EBITDA
- 6.3 million TEU transported
- $10.0 billion in shipping revenue
- $5.0 billion in logistics revenue
Overall quarterly revenue was 19.2% higher than a year earlier.
These figures describe the size of the company Saadé manages, not his personal income or net worth. Because CMA CGM is not structured like a widely traded U.S. public company, personal financial comparisons involving Saadé can rely heavily on external estimates and should not be confused with audited corporate financial results.
Who Is Greg Hayes?
Gregory J. Hayes is an American business executive best known for leading United Technologies Corporation and later Raytheon Technologies, now called RTX.
Hayes built a long career at United Technologies, moving through finance, strategy and senior executive positions. He served as UTC’s Chief Financial Officer from 2008 to 2014, became CEO in 2014 and was named Chairman in 2016.
His background differs significantly from Saadé’s. Saadé rose through a family-controlled transportation company, whereas Hayes spent much of his career restructuring and managing a publicly traded U.S. industrial and aerospace group.
Greg Hayes and the transformation of United Technologies
Hayes played an important role in transforming United Technologies from a diversified industrial conglomerate into a company centered much more heavily on aerospace.
During his leadership period, UTC:
- sold Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015;
- acquired Rockwell Collins in 2018;
- separated Carrier and Otis into independent companies in 2020; and
- combined UTC’s remaining aerospace operations with Raytheon Company in 2020.
The resulting company became Raytheon Technologies and was later renamed RTX.
Its main businesses today include Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon, covering aircraft systems, engines, defense electronics, missiles and other advanced aerospace and defense technologies.
Hayes’ transition out of RTX leadership
Christopher Calio succeeded Hayes as RTX CEO in May 2024. Hayes then became Executive Chairman.
RTX announced in February 2025 that Hayes would leave the Executive Chairman position and the company’s board on April 30, 2025. He subsequently served as Special Advisor to the CEO through January 2, 2026.
This means describing Hayes as the current CEO or Executive Chairman of RTX in 2026 would be inaccurate.
Chris Calio is now Chairman and CEO of RTX.
What Is Greg Hayes Doing Now?
Hayes remains active in corporate governance despite completing his formal advisory period at RTX.
Phillips 66 appointed him Lead Independent Director effective May 13, 2026. He also chairs its Nominating and Governance Committee and participates in several other board committees.
Hayes is also a director of Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD. BD’s proxy materials identify him as an independent director serving on its Audit and Compensation and Human Capital committees.
These roles show that his post-RTX career has shifted from running a large aerospace manufacturer toward corporate oversight and governance.
Why Rodolphe Saadé and Greg Hayes Can Appear Connected
The strongest connection between Saadé and Hayes is industrial rather than personal.
CMA CGM increasingly operates in aviation through CMA CGM AIR CARGO, while Hayes spent decades managing businesses deeply embedded in the global aerospace sector.
CMA CGM says its air-freight operation includes Boeing 777 freighters and an Airbus A330 freighter, while the group has also ordered Airbus A350F aircraft.
RTX, meanwhile, operates Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney. Collins produces aircraft systems and components, while Pratt & Whitney is a major aircraft-engine manufacturer. RTX also has a substantial defense business through Raytheon.
That puts companies associated with the two executives inside the enormous global aviation ecosystem, but it does not establish a direct Saadé-Hayes relationship.
No credible public announcement currently shows Hayes personally negotiating an aviation deal with Saadé, sitting on a CMA CGM board, investing with the Saadé family, or joining a company controlled by CMA CGM.
Also Read: Robert Downey Jr and Greg Hayes
Their Leadership Strategies Were Very Different
The comparison becomes more useful when looking at how each executive built scale.
Saadé focused on vertical integration
Saadé’s strategy has increasingly brought more parts of the supply chain under the CMA CGM umbrella.
The group operates ships but has also expanded into:
- freight forwarding;
- contract logistics;
- warehouses;
- ports and terminals;
- air cargo;
- inland transportation;
- e-commerce delivery;
- aircraft maintenance; and
- media.
In June 2026, CMA CGM further expanded its aviation capabilities by acquiring Crystal Aero Solutions, an aircraft-maintenance specialist.
The logic is relatively clear: controlling more stages of a customer’s transportation chain can reduce dependence on standalone third-party providers and allow CMA CGM to offer broader end-to-end logistics services.
Hayes focused on portfolio restructuring
Hayes followed almost the opposite corporate path at UTC.
Instead of continually adding unrelated operations, United Technologies separated businesses that no longer fit its increasingly aerospace-focused strategy. Carrier and Otis were spun off, leaving UTC’s aerospace operations to combine with Raytheon.
That merger produced a concentrated aerospace and defense company with enormous exposure to both commercial aviation and government defense programs.
RTX reported $88.6 billion in sales for 2025. By the second quarter of 2026, the company reported quarterly sales of $24.7 billion and a backlog of $289 billion, including $170 billion in commercial orders and $119 billion in defense.
Those are current RTX figures under Chris Calio’s leadership, rather than results attributable solely to Hayes. Still, the company’s present structure is substantially shaped by the transactions undertaken during Hayes’ tenure.
Saadé and Hayes in a Side-by-Side Business Comparison
| Category | Rodolphe Saadé | Greg Hayes |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 1970 | 1960 |
| Core background | Shipping and logistics | Finance, aerospace and industrial management |
| Major company | CMA CGM | UTC / Raytheon Technologies / RTX |
| Leadership approach | Expansion across the supply chain | Restructuring and aerospace consolidation |
| Major deal examples | NOL, CEVA Logistics, logistics and terminal acquisitions | Rockwell Collins acquisition, Carrier and Otis separations, Raytheon merger |
| Aviation exposure | CMA CGM AIR CARGO | Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace through former RTX leadership |
| Current executive role | Chairman and CEO, CMA CGM | No longer an RTX executive |
| Current board work | CMA CGM | Phillips 66 and BD |
| Verified direct partnership | None publicly established | None publicly established |
The comparison highlights why the names can make sense together in searches involving global business leadership. Both men have managed organizations with huge capital requirements, international operations and complex supply chains, but their corporate histories remain distinct.
How Their Companies Fit Into the Global Supply Chain
CMA CGM and RTX occupy different but complementary layers of the broader transportation economy.
CMA CGM moves goods. Its operations involve ships, ports, freight forwarding, trucks, rail networks, warehouses and cargo aircraft.
RTX primarily supplies technology. Collins Aerospace makes systems for aircraft and aviation infrastructure, Pratt & Whitney produces engines, and Raytheon serves military and defense customers.
The two business ecosystems can therefore touch the same global aviation and transportation networks without requiring Saadé and Hayes themselves to have a formal relationship.
This distinction is particularly important when researching executive-name combinations. Industry proximity should not be converted into claims about partnerships, investments or personal associations unless those connections are supported by corporate announcements, regulatory filings or similarly reliable evidence.
Current Status in 2026
As of September 2026, Rodolphe Saadé remains Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM. The group continues expanding its maritime, logistics, terminal and air-cargo operations. Its second-quarter results showed both higher shipping volumes and sharply higher group revenue compared with the same period in 2025.
Greg Hayes is no longer an RTX executive or director. His RTX special-advisor assignment ended in January 2026. His current prominent corporate roles include Lead Independent Director of Phillips 66 and membership on the BD board.
There has been no verified public development establishing a direct Rodolphe Saadé-Greg Hayes business relationship.
FAQ
Are Rodolphe Saadé and Greg Hayes business partners?
No verified public information establishes them as business partners. Saadé leads CMA CGM, while Hayes is a former RTX leader who now holds board positions at companies including Phillips 66 and BD.
Did Greg Hayes work for CMA CGM?
There is no credible public record showing that Greg Hayes worked for CMA CGM. His career was primarily associated with United Technologies, Raytheon Technologies and RTX before he moved into post-executive corporate board roles.
Does Rodolphe Saadé own RTX?
There is no public evidence that Rodolphe Saadé controls or owns RTX. RTX is a publicly traded U.S. corporation, while Saadé is principally associated with CMA CGM and the Saadé family’s business interests.
Is Greg Hayes still CEO of RTX?
No. Christopher Calio became RTX CEO in May 2024. Hayes subsequently served as Executive Chairman and then as Special Advisor, with that advisory role ending in January 2026.
What company does Rodolphe Saadé run?
Rodolphe Saadé is Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group, a global company active in container shipping, logistics, ports, terminals, air cargo and media.
What does Greg Hayes do in 2026?
Hayes is no longer part of RTX’s executive leadership. He became Lead Independent Director of Phillips 66 in May 2026 and also serves on the board of Becton, Dickinson and Company.
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