Executive Biography of Don Ruhmann
Don Ruhmann
Chief Aerospace Safety Officer
Senior Vice President, Global Aerospace Safety
Don Ruhmann is the chief aerospace safety officer of The ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ Company, senior vice president of Global Aerospace Safety and a member of the company’s Executive Council. Named to this role in 2025, Ruhmann is responsible for strengthening the safety practices and culture at ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ and advancing the company’s comprehensive Global Aerospace Safety strategy, including integrated responsibility for Product & Services Safety, Aerospace Safety Analytics, and Global Aviation Safety System. Ruhmann is accountable to the Aerospace Safety Committee of the ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ Board of Directors.
Ruhmann was previously vice president of Development Programs for ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ Airplanes. In this role, he oversaw program management of new derivative airplanes from initial offering through certification and entry into service, which included working with global regulators to ensure each new product met regulatory requirements and incorporated industry best practices.
Prior to this assignment, Ruhmann was vice president and chief project engineer for the 787 program. He was responsible for the safety, product integrity, configuration, design and airplane performance on the 787 program.
From 2013 to 2020, Ruhmann served in engineering leadership roles on the 777 and 777X program. He was the director of Engineering for the 777 and 777X program, overseeing engineering performance and execution and leading integration of the 777 and 777X engineering teams. Before that, he led Airplane Engineering & Connectivity Integration for the 777X program, leading airplane-level integration and test.
Previously Ruhmann was the regional vice president of ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ Aviation Services for Middle East, Russia, Central Asia and Africa. He was the senior ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ counterpart to airline technical and operations executives for post-delivery technical support and business issues.
Ruhmann was the director of 787 propulsion systems for type certification and initial delivery. He also served as the 777 fleet chief. Ruhmann has held a variety of technical and leadership roles since joining ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ in 1989 as a liaison engineer.
Ruhmann serves on the Texas A&M University College of Engineering Industry Advisory Council.
Ruhmann holds a master’s degree in Applications of Physics from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University. He also completed executive education at Columbia University and holds a private pilot license.