‘The eyes of the world are on us:’ Boeing chief Dave Calhoun to depart in major top brass reshuffle
The chief executive of Boeing is to step down, as the embattled US plane-maker makes a string of changes to its senior management.
Dave Calhoun, who joined the firm in January 2020, will depart at the end of the year. In a statement, Boeing said Calhoun would “continue to lead” through the year in order to maintain stability as it seeks to recover from one of the most crisis-hit periods in its history.
The plane-maker has been engulfed in scandal since part of one of its aircraft fell off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The incident is being investigated by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Aviation Administration.
A number of top level changes will also see Boeing’s commercial airplanes chief executive Stan Deal retire, with Stephanie Pope appointed as replacement effective immediately. Pope, who was chief operating officer, will be at the heart of the recent crisis in her new role.
Board chair Larry Kellner, who has held his position for half a decade, will be replaced by former Qualcomm chief executive Steve Mollenkopf, after announcing his intention to not stand for re-election.
Boeing shares were up over 3 per cent in pre-market trading. They are down just over 23 per cent since January.
In a letter to employees, Calhoun wrote: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve Boeing,”
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company. We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do.”
Kellner said: “Boeing plays an essential role in our world, and serving this company, and our people, has been a true honor.”
“I want to thank Dave for his tremendous leadership of our company, and I know he will finish the job this year that he started in 2020 to position Boeing, and our employees, for a stronger future. With Dave’s decision to step down as CEO at the end of this year, now is the right time for a transition to my successor.”
Ryanair, one of Boeing’s biggest airline customers, backed the shake-up. In a statement this afternoon, chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “We welcome these much-needed management changes in Seattle. We look forward to working with Stephanie Pope to accelerate B737 aircraft deliveries to customers, including Ryanair in Europe, for Summer and Autumn 2024.
“We also look forward to continuing to work with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and CFO Brian West, and to helping Boeing recover its aircraft deliveries so that Ryanair can continue to grow strongly as Boeing’s no.1 customer here in Europe.”
The Irish budget carrier signed a mega $40bn (£31.6bn) deal for 300 Boeing 737 Max-10 aircraft last May.