Aerojet Rocketdyne's CEO Seymour to retire; COO named successor

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc on Monday announced that its chief executive officer and president, Scott Seymour, would retire effective immediately and the company's chief operating officer, Eileen Drake, would assume both roles.

Seymour's departure was due to health reasons and not related to other high-profile departures in recent months, according to a source familiar with the company, which was formerly called GenCorp Inc.

In February, GenCorp said Seymour would also head the Aerojet Rocketdyne unit after the abrupt departure of its president, Warren Boley. Other high-level executives left the company in the ensuing months.

On Monday, Warren Lichtenstein, chairman of the company's board, praised Seymour's role in the company's 2013 acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

Drake, a former senior executive with United Technologies Corp, joined Aerojet Rocketdyne, based in Sacramento, California, in March and has spent the past few months learning about the company's products and meeting with the companies' suppliers and customers.

Drake will also succeed Seymour as a member of the company's board of directors, Aerojet said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Bengalaru staff; Editing by Leslie Adler)