Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes often show up in the same search, yet their careers sit in very different worlds. Banks is a supermodel turned television host and founder. Hayes is a finance-trained executive who led one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world.
This guide covers each career separately, using company filings and major news coverage. It also answers a common question: are the two connected?
Quick Bio: Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes
Here is a fast side-by-side look at both public figures.
| Detail | Tyra Banks | Greg Hayes |
| Full name | Tyra Lynne Banks | Gregory J. Hayes |
| Born | December 4, 1973, Inglewood, California | Exact date not publicly confirmed |
| Known for | Modeling, television, entrepreneurship | Corporate leadership |
| Industry | Fashion and media | Aerospace and defense |
| Best-known role | Creator and host of America’s Next Top Model | Former CEO of United Technologies and RTX |
| Education | Immaculate Heart High School (1991), Harvard’s Owner/President Management program (2012) | Economics degree, Purdue University (1982) |
| Key milestone | First Black woman on a solo Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover (1997) | Led the 2020 Raytheon merger |
Who Is Tyra Banks?
Tyra Banks started modeling at 15 while still in school. After graduating from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles in 1991, she built a busy career on runways and magazine covers in Europe and the United States.
She became one of the few Black models to reach supermodel status. By the early 2000s she ranked among the top-earning models in the world, and she worked as a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005.
Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit story is a landmark. She shared the 1996 cover, then became the first Black woman on a solo cover in 1997. She returned for a third cover in 2019.
Tyra Banks and America’s Next Top Model
In 2003, Banks created America’s Next Top Model and served as host and executive producer. The show turned modeling into a weekly competition built on photo shoots, challenges and eliminations. It also gave pop culture the word “smize,” meaning to smile with your eyes.
- Launch: The series debuted in 2003 and made the modeling business easy for everyday viewers to follow.
- Networks: It aired on UPN, then The CW, and later VH1, which shows how the format adapted over time.
- Global reach: International versions appeared in many countries, spreading the brand well beyond the United States.
The Tyra Banks Show and Television Career
The Tyra Banks Show premiered on September 12, 2005, and ran until 2010. The daytime talk show won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative, which raised her profile far beyond fashion.
- True Beauty: She co-created this reality series, which aired from 2009 to 2010 and showed her interest in building formats.
- FABLife: She fronted this syndicated talk show in 2015, but it lasted only one season.
- America’s Got Talent: She stepped in as host, which widened her audience in mainstream entertainment.
- Dancing with the Stars: She hosted the ballroom competition from 2020 to 2022, which marked a big return to prime time.
Tyra Banks as an Entrepreneur
Banks runs her business life through Bankable Productions, the company behind America’s Next Top Model, The Tyra Banks Show and the 2008 film The Clique. In 2023 it relaunched as SMiZE Productions. In 2012, she completed a nine-week, non-degree management program at Harvard.
| Venture | Focus |
| Bankable Productions (now SMiZE Productions) | TV and media production |
| TYRA Beauty | Cosmetics built around self-confidence |
| SMiZE & Dream | Ice cream company inspired by her mother |
| Modelland | Young adult novel that topped The New York Times list in 2011 |
Who Is Greg Hayes?
Gregory J. Hayes is an American business executive. He earned an economics degree from Purdue University in 1982 and is a certified public accountant. Unlike Banks, he has kept a low public profile.
Hayes joined United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in 1999, when it merged with Sundstrand, where he held several leadership roles. He became senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2008. In that seat, UTC bought Goodrich and sold more than $8 billion of non-core businesses.
Greg Hayes and United Technologies
Hayes became CEO of UTC in November 2014 and chairman in 2016. At the time, UTC owned Pratt & Whitney, Otis, Carrier and its aerospace systems units. His job was to make that mix simpler and more focused.
- Sikorsky sale (2015): UTC sold the helicopter maker, a first step toward a leaner aerospace business.
- Rockwell Collins (2018): The purchase, worth roughly $30 billion including debt, created Collins Aerospace.
- Spin-offs (2020): Otis and Carrier became independent companies, which left UTC’s aerospace core intact.
Greg Hayes and the Creation of RTX
In April 2020, UTC’s aerospace businesses, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, merged with Raytheon Company. The combined firm was first called Raytheon Technologies, and Hayes became its CEO. It brought engines, avionics, missiles and radar under one roof.
The company was renamed RTX in 2023. RTX announced that year that Chris Calio would succeed Hayes as CEO at the May 2, 2024 annual meeting. Hayes then served as executive chairman and, in 2025, stepped off the board.
Greg Hayes’ Leadership Style and Career
Hayes’s career follows a clear path from accounting to controller, CFO and CEO. That route gave him a full view of how a large industrial group makes and spends money.
- Portfolio focus: RTX describes his tenure as a shift from industrial conglomerate to focused aerospace company.
- Planned succession: The board called the CEO handoff a deliberate, disciplined process, not a sudden exit.
Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes: Are They Connected?
There is no known personal or professional link between Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes. In the sources reviewed for this guide, no shared company, board seat or project appears. They work in different industries and public circles.
People likely search both names together because each is a well-known figure with a long career. Search tools also tend to group unrelated names. The safest answer is that they are two separate public figures.
Major Career Achievements of Tyra Banks
Banks has a long list of firsts and honors. Each one shows a different side of her career.
- Sports Illustrated milestone: She was the first Black woman on a solo Swimsuit cover in 1997.
- Victoria’s Secret Angel: She held the title from 1997 to 2005, a prominent spot in fashion at that time.
- Top Model creator: She built a reality franchise that reached many countries.
- Emmy wins: She earned two Daytime Emmy Awards for her talk show.
- Business builder: She grew a production company, a beauty line and an ice cream brand.
Major Career Achievements of Greg Hayes
Hayes’s achievements show up in company structure and market position. Most of them involve large deals.
- CFO of UTC: He held the role from 2008 to 2014, which set him up for the top job.
- CEO of UTC: He led the company from 2014 and became chairman in 2016.
- Rockwell Collins deal: He guided one of the biggest aerospace acquisitions of the decade.
- Raytheon merger: He led the 2020 combination that formed today’s RTX.
Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes in 2026
In 2026, both names still draw attention, though for different reasons. Banks remains active in media and brand building. She returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2024 and has promoted Smize & Dream with a pop-up cafe in Sydney.
Hayes has moved away from day-to-day roles at RTX. He left the board on April 30, 2025, and RTX said he would serve as special advisor to the CEO through January 2, 2026. RTX’s 2026 reports name Chris Calio as chairman and CEO. Roles can change, so check official company news for updates.
Tyra Banks vs. Greg Hayes: Career Comparison
| Category | Tyra Banks | Greg Hayes |
| Starting field | Modeling | Accounting and finance |
| Main skill | Creativity and branding | Strategy and deal making |
| Public visibility | Very high | Moderate |
| Biggest creation | America’s Next Top Model | RTX |
| Business approach | Founder of brands | Leader of large public companies |
| Audience | Fans and viewers | Investors and industry partners |
Banks reinvented herself several times across fashion, television and business. Hayes reshaped a giant company through a few well-timed deals.
What Makes Their Stories Interesting?
Their stories show that success takes many forms. One person built a name by being visible and creative. The other built influence behind the scenes with numbers and long-term planning.
- Willingness to change: Both moved into new roles instead of staying in their first lane.
- Long-term thinking: Both built something meant to last, from a media brand to a merged industrial group.
Final Thoughts
Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes offer two strong models of success. Banks turned a modeling career into a media and business brand. Hayes used financial skill to help create one of the largest aerospace and defense companies.
They are not connected in any known way, and that is worth stating plainly. Still, reading their stories side by side shows that creativity and strategy both matter. Lasting careers grow when people keep learning and adapting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Greg Hayes still the CEO of RTX?
No. Chris Calio took over as CEO on May 2, 2024, and Hayes left the board on April 30, 2025.
What did Greg Hayes do before RTX?
He spent about 21 years at UTC, serving as CFO from 2008 to 2014 and CEO from 2014 to 2020.
What does “smize” mean?
It means smiling with your eyes. Tyra Banks popularized the term on America’s Next Top Model.
James Anderson is a passionate English grammar writer at GlobalMegzine, sharing simple language tips, word meanings, slang guides, and easy grammar knowledge for everyday readers.