Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to Step Down Amid Leadership Shakeup

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will depart the company by the end of the year, along with two other top executives, as the aircraft giant faces increasing scrutiny following a string of high-profile safety issues.

Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), will also step down, effective immediately. Stephanie Pope, the COO, will take over for Deal. Pope oversaw the performance of Boeing’s three business units: Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, and Boeing Global Services.

Larry Kellner, the board’s chairman, has also announced plans to leave. He will be succeeded by Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing director since 2020, who will oversee the selection of Boeing’s next CEO.

Boeing already replaced Ed Clark, head of its 737 Max program at the company’s Renton, WA, facility, earlier this year. Elizabeth Lund, SVP and general manager of Airplane Programs, has also been assigned to a newly created position that will oversee quality control activities.

The January 5 incident where a door plug blew off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at 16,000 feet “was a watershed moment for Boeing,” Calhoun said in a letter to employees. “We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.”