PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Textron Inc. (TXT) today announced that Julie G. Duffy has been named executive vice president, Human Resources, effective immediately. She succeeds Cheryl H. Johnson, who has been named chief human resources officer at Caterpillar Inc.

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Julie G. Duffy has been named Textron Inc. executive vice president, Human Resources (Photo: Business Wire)

Duffy was most recently Textron’s vice president and deputy general counsel – litigation, responsible for managing the Corporate litigation staff with primary oversight of litigation throughout the company. She has played an active role in developing, implementing and standardizing human resources policies across the company and has served as the senior legal advisor on employment and benefits issues. She is also a member of the Textron Benefits Committee.

Duffy joined Textron in 1997 as a member of the Corporate legal team and has since held litigation positions of increasing responsibility. In 2009, she was promoted to executive counsel of Textron and was named as vice president and deputy general counsel – litigation in 2011. Prior to Textron, Duffy was a commercial and employment litigation associate at Pillsbury Winthrop in Los Angeles.

Duffy will report directly to Textron Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly. “Julie is a well-respected leader who has partnered with our human resources organization on key issues that help to support and develop our employees throughout the company,” Donnelly said. “Recognizing that our people are our most valuable asset, Julie will continue to focus on creating an environment in which all of our people grow and succeed.”

Commenting on Johnson, Donnelly said: “We thank Cheryl for her more than 20 years of service to Textron, including the last five years leading Textron’s global human resources team. Cheryl is a leader who is passionate about people and their success. Under her guidance, we made tremendous progress in creating an active pipeline of talent that promotes our people internally while strengthening our college recruiting efforts in support of our business objectives to drive growth.”

Duffy received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Boston University. She has served on a number of boards in Rhode Island and is currently a commissioner on the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission and a member of Crossroads RI’s Board of Directors.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

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Source: Textron Inc.