TOP 50 AEROSPACE THOUGHT LEADERS, FUTURIST KEYNOTE SPEAKERS & DEFENSE CONSULTANTS FOR HIRE

Today’s Top 50 aerospace thought leaders, futurist keynote speakers and strategic consultants note that the sector is entering a new golden age powered by advances in AI, cybersecurity, automation, sustainable propulsion, and commercial space exploration. And naturally, global Top 50 aerospace thought leaders driving this transformation span not only aviation and defense, but also software, telecommunications, and emerging technology.

A fine spot to kick things off with would, if you’re planning a conference, corporate meeting or convention event, to look at the research and commentary of futurist keynote speaker Scott Steinberg. A business strategist and consulting expert to over 3000 brands, like Top 50 aerospace thought leaders peers, his influence continues to redefine how humanity takes to the skies and more.

From pioneering orbital launches and next-generation aircraft to advanced cybersecurity and AI-powered flight systems, you’ll find that prominent experts represent the vanguard of global industry evolution. Innovators who are famous Top 50 aerospace thought leaders like Shotwell, Bezos, and Beck are redefining access to space, while defense leaders such as Warden and Taiclet strengthen national security through cutting-edge engineering.

Anyhow, we’ll let the roster itself do the talking, and you can send us a note with anyone you think that we’ve missed or need to add. We look forward to your input with future Top 50 aerospace thought leaders installments planned to roll out in the years ahead.

Top 50 Aerospace Thought Leaders

1. Scott Steinberg – CEO, FutureProof Strategies: The Futurist Consulting Firm
2. Elon Musk – CEO, SpaceX
3. Gwynne Shotwell – President & COO, SpaceX
4. Jeff Bezos – Founder, Blue Origin
5. Bob Smith – Former CEO, Blue Origin
6. Bill Nelson – Administrator, NASA
7. Pam Melroy – Deputy Administrator, NASA
8. Greg Hayes – CEO, RTX
9. Chris Calio – CEO, Pratt & Whitney
10. H. Lawrence Culp Jr. – CEO, GE Aerospace
11. Dave Calhoun – Former CEO, Boeing
12. Stephanie Pope – President, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
13. Ted Colbert – President & CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
14. Tom Gentile – Former CEO, Spirit AeroSystems
15. Kathy Warden – CEO, Northrop Grumman
16. Jim Taiclet – CEO, Lockheed Martin
17. Phebe Novakovic – CEO, General Dynamics
18. Bill Brown – Former CEO, L3Harris Technologies
19. Chris Kubasik – CEO, L3Harris Technologies
20. Eileen Drake – CEO, Aerojet Rocketdyne
21. Michael O’Leary – CEO, ZeroAvia
22. Marc Parent – CEO, CAE
23. David Calhoun – Chairman, Caterpillar (aerospace adjacent leadership)
24. Michael Whitaker – Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
25. Ben Minicucci – CEO, Alaska Airlines
26. Dave Barger – Co-founder, JetBlue Airways
27. Scott Kirby – CEO, United Airlines
28. Ed Bastian – CEO, Delta Air Lines
29. Patrick Shanahan – CEO, Spirit AeroSystems; former Acting Secretary of Defense
30. Lisa Costa – Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, U.S. Space Force
31. Dmitry Shapiro – CEO, GoMeta (AI in aerospace interfaces)
32. Jensen Huang – CEO, NVIDIA (AI acceleration for aerospace modeling)
33. Arvind Krishna – CEO, IBM (quantum & cyber applications for aerospace)
34. Safra Catz – CEO, Oracle (cloud systems enabling aerospace analytics)
35. Satya Nadella – CEO, Microsoft (cloud & digital twins for aviation)
36. Sundar Pichai – CEO, Alphabet (AI, mapping, and drone technologies)
37. Lisa Su – CEO, AMD (high-performance computing for aerospace)
38. Chuck Robbins – CEO, Cisco (telecom infrastructure for aviation systems)
39. Hans Vestberg – CEO, Verizon (5G communications for autonomous flight)
40. Mike Sievert – CEO, T-Mobile (telecom innovation supporting UAV connectivity)
41. Jared Isaacman – CEO, Shift4; commander of Polaris space missions
42. Peter Beck – Founder & CEO, Rocket Lab
43. Tory Bruno – CEO, United Launch Alliance
44. Chris Kemp – Co-founder & CEO, Astra
45. Dan Hart – CEO, Virgin Orbit
46. Michael Suffredini – CEO, Axiom Space
47. Dylan Taylor – Chairman & CEO, Voyager Space
48. Will Marshall – Co-founder & CEO, Planet Labs
49. Charles Bolden – Former NASA Administrator
50. Norm T. Augustine – Former CEO, Lockheed Martin

Keynote Speakers and Consulting Experts Building the Future of Aerospace

From IT pioneers to executives from major Fortune 500 firms, Top 50 aerospace thought leaders provide the technology, engineering and computational backbone driving innovation. Across all manner of fields, cross-industry visionaries collectively are building a more connected, intelligent, and exploratory future for the world’s skies.