Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of the year, the company said in an announcement Monday. This planned departure is part of a broader leadership overhaul at Boeing, which has faced significant challenges in recent years, including safety concerns and scrutiny from regulators and the public.
Calhoun’s announcement comes on the heels of a particularly troubling incident involving a door plug that blew out of a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Addressing the challenges, Calhoun stated, “The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company.” Calhoun assured that the focus would remain 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.”
As part of the reshuffling, Stan Deal, the CEO and president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, has retired effective immediately. Larry Kellner, the chair of the company’s board of directors, will also step down and will not stand for re-election at the next shareholders’ annual meeting. He will be succeeded by Steve Mollenkopf, a former Qualcomm CEO and current Boeing board member.
Calhoun’s tenure, set to continue through the end of 2024, will be a period marked by efforts to deliver on these promises and set Boeing on a stable path forward. As Calhoun highlighted in his message to the staff, the company must respond to the latest incident “with humility and complete transparency” while instilling “a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.”
Relevant articles:
– Boeing CEO to Step Down
– Boeing CEO, other executives stepping down amid safety crisis, NBC News, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:10:00 GMT
– Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to step down; board chair and commercial airplane head replaced in wake of 737 Max crisis, CNBC, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:00:25 GMT
– Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun Stepping Down Alongside Other Executives, Forbes, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:35:40 GMT