Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced his departure at the end of 2024 as the company faces the aftermath of the 737 Max crisis. Calhoun, who was appointed to lead the company in 2020, will guide Boeing through a year of crucial work to stabilize and position the company for the future.
In addition to Calhoun’s departure, Boeing has announced a restructuring of its management team in an effort to improve its reputation. Stan Deal, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), will also be stepping down immediately. Stephanie Pope, who has been serving as the chief operating officer, will replace Deal. Pope has been overseeing the performance of Boeing’s business units, including Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and Boeing Global Services.
Independent Board Chair Larry Kellner has also announced plans to resign, with Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing director since 2020, set to take his place. Mollenkopf will lead the process of selecting Boeing’s next chief executive.
In a letter to employees on Monday, Calhoun addressed a recent incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 where a door plug blew off at 16,000 feet. Calhoun described this as a “watershed moment” for Boeing and emphasized the company’s commitment to safety, quality and transparency. The management changes come as Boeing faces pressure from regulators to address quality issues discovered in an audit of 737 Max manufacturing processes. Calhoun expressed confidence that Boeing would emerge from this challenging period as a stronger company building on the lessons learned in rebuilding it over past few years
