Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes is a phrase that sounds like it belongs to a celebrity relationship story. However, the sources reviewed for this article do not establish a romantic, family, or business connection between Banks and Gregory J. Hayes, the former aerospace executive. Banks is a supermodel, television creator, and entrepreneur. Hayes built his career in corporate finance and industrial leadership. Because Greg Hayes is not a unique name, identifying the person matters before drawing conclusions. Here is a closer look at Banks, the prominent executive known as Greg Hayes, and the people actually documented in her personal life.
Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes at a Glance
| Detail | Tyra Banks | Gregory J. Hayes |
|---|---|---|
| Main professional field | Fashion, television, and consumer business | Finance, aerospace, and corporate leadership |
| Signature career achievement | Creator of America’s Next Top Model | Former chief executive of United Technologies and RTX |
| Other notable work | The Tyra Banks Show; SMiZE & DREAM | Corporate board service |
| Professional background | Modeling, presenting, and producing | Financial management and industrial operations |
Tyra Banks: From Fashion Covers to Television
Her Place in Modeling History
Banks became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1996, sharing the cover with Argentine model Valeria Mazza. In 1997, she appeared on the cover alone, becoming the publication’s first Black solo cover model.
The distinction between those two dates matters: one marks her first cover appearance, while the other marks her first solo cover. Banks returned to the magazine’s cover in 2019, adding another chapter to a career that had already expanded far beyond fashion photography.
Her association with Victoria’s Secret also spans several distinct periods. She first walked in its fashion show in 1996, appeared in the 2005 show before stepping away, and returned in October 2024. She closed the live broadcast of the 2024 event.
Building a Career Behind the Camera
America’s Next Top Model premiered on UPN in 2003. Banks served as its creator, host, and executive producer, turning the process of becoming a model into a television competition. Contestants faced photo shoots, runway assignments, and judging panels.
Banks also hosted The Tyra Banks Show from 2005 to 2010. The daytime program won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Her later presenting work included America’s Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars, extending her television career beyond fashion.
These roles involved different responsibilities. On a modeling assignment, Banks performed for a photographer or audience. As a television creator and producer, she also helped shape the program itself.
The Business Side of Banks’s Career
Banks founded SMiZE & DREAM, an ice cream company whose name draws on “smize,” her expression for smiling with the eyes. The venture brought her personal branding into a consumer product outside the beauty and entertainment industries.
Her business experience has also featured in education. At Stanford Graduate School of Business, Banks has taught with lecturer Allison Kluger on Project You: Building and Extending Your Personal Brand. The course connects reputation and communication with the practical work of developing a recognizable professional identity.
Australia became an important base for her ice cream venture. During an April 2025 television appearance, Banks explained that repeated visits to develop recipes and manufacture ice cream helped inspire her family’s move to Sydney. She described enjoying the country and deciding to make the move together.
Who Is Tyra Banks’s Partner?
Banks’s documented partner is Canadian businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin. The pair have been publicly linked since at least 2019 and attended the 2022 TIME100 Gala together.
Bélanger-Martin has held leadership positions at DTI Software and Advanced Inflight Alliance. He has also worked in financial leadership at Banks’s ice cream company.
Banks is also a mother. Her son, York Banks Asla, was born in January 2016 through a surrogate. She generally keeps him away from the spotlight and rarely shares photographs of him. A February 2026 profile described Banks living in Australia with York and Bélanger-Martin.
Greg Hayes: The Executive Behind the Name
Gregory J. Hayes is best known for leading United Technologies and the aerospace and defense company that became RTX. His background centers on financial management, large industrial businesses, and corporate strategy.
Hayes joined United Technologies in 1999 through its merger with Sundstrand. He served as chief financial officer from 2008 to 2014 before becoming chief executive in 2014. He added the chairman’s role in 2016.
In 2020, United Technologies’ aerospace businesses merged with Raytheon Company. Hayes became chief executive of the combined company, then known as Raytheon Technologies. The business later adopted the RTX name.
That corporate history explains why biographies may associate Hayes with several company names. United Technologies and RTX represent successive stages of his leadership career rather than interchangeable names for every employer he has had.
His Departure From RTX Leadership
Hayes’s tenure as RTX chief executive ended in May 2024, when he became executive chairman. He stepped down as executive chairman and left the board effective April 30, 2025.
RTX announced that he would remain a special adviser to its chief executive through January 2, 2026. His subsequent corporate profile includes board service at BD and Phillips 66. Describing him as RTX’s current chief executive would therefore misstate his role.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Tyra Banks Show win its first Daytime Emmy?
The program won the award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show in 2008. The award recognized Banks’s work in daytime television.
Who is the father of Tyra Banks’s son?
York’s father is Erik Asla, a photographer and Banks’s former partner. York’s surname includes both parents’ names.
Did Tyra Banks confirm an engagement in 2020?
Banks addressed speculation after wearing a ring, explaining that it was an opal ring shaped like a crab rather than an engagement ring.
Who succeeded Greg Hayes as RTX chief executive?
Christopher T. Calio became RTX’s president and chief executive on May 2, 2024. He subsequently became chairman effective April 30, 2025.
What is BD, where Hayes serves on the board?
BD stands for Becton, Dickinson and Company. It is a global medical technology company, and Hayes joined its board in 2025.
Conclusion
An accurate account of Tyra Banks and Greg Hayes starts with identifying each person. Banks’s story centers on fashion, television, entrepreneurship, and family; Hayes’s follows corporate finance and aerospace leadership. Their documented biographies provide the substance behind the names.
Also read… James Hamilton McDonough: Age, Parents, Siblings, and Family Life
