Boeing chief must have engineering background, Emirates boss says
The chief of Emirates, one of Boeing’s largest clients, has said the crisis-stricken US aircraft maker should ensure its new CE has engineering experience to restore safety standards. A day after Boeing CE Dave Calhoun announced he would step down, Sir Tim Clark also said he backed efforts by the US group’s largest labour union to win a seat on the board. “To fix Boeing’s issues the company needs a strong engineering lead as its head coupled to a governance model which prioritises safety and quality,” Clark said Tuesday. “Some serious lateral thinking” was needed, the airline boss added. Boeing on Monday unveiled a wide-ranging reshuffle of its leadership in a bid to get to grips with an escalating reputational crisis after a 737 Max door panel blew off mid-flight in January. Calhoun, 66, is to leave at the end of the year, while board chair Larry Kellner said he would depart in May. Stan Deal, head of the commercial planes division since 2019, was immediately replaced by COO Stephanie Pope. Boeing has faced growing frustration from its airline customers, after the company was forced to slow production of the 737 Max as it sought to resolve manufacturing flaws. Emirates in November placed an order for 95 wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 jets, used for long-haul flights, valued at $52bn at list prices. “Whether, yet again, this changing of the guard will resolve Boeing’s issues only time will tell, but time, unfortunately, is not on their side,” Clark said. Industry executives and analysts have welcomed the management overhaul but all eyes are now on the next board chair, Steve Mollenkopf, who will lead a CE search. Pope, who is an obvious contender, has a background in finance. Dave Gitlin, a Boeing director who is CE of Carrier, which manufactures heating and cooling systems, has a background in aerospace, previously holding roles at Collins Aerospace and United Technologies. A third possible contender is Patrick Shanahan, head of Boeing’s supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which supplied the door plug that blew out during the Alaska Airlines flight in January.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-03-27/unaligned/boeing-chief-must-have-engineering-background-emirates-boss-says
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Boeing chief must have engineering background, Emirates boss says
The chief of Emirates, one of Boeing’s largest clients, has said the crisis-stricken US aircraft maker should ensure its new CE has engineering experience to restore safety standards. A day after Boeing CE Dave Calhoun announced he would step down, Sir Tim Clark also said he backed efforts by the US group’s largest labour union to win a seat on the board. “To fix Boeing’s issues the company needs a strong engineering lead as its head coupled to a governance model which prioritises safety and quality,” Clark said Tuesday. “Some serious lateral thinking” was needed, the airline boss added. Boeing on Monday unveiled a wide-ranging reshuffle of its leadership in a bid to get to grips with an escalating reputational crisis after a 737 Max door panel blew off mid-flight in January. Calhoun, 66, is to leave at the end of the year, while board chair Larry Kellner said he would depart in May. Stan Deal, head of the commercial planes division since 2019, was immediately replaced by COO Stephanie Pope. Boeing has faced growing frustration from its airline customers, after the company was forced to slow production of the 737 Max as it sought to resolve manufacturing flaws. Emirates in November placed an order for 95 wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 jets, used for long-haul flights, valued at $52bn at list prices. “Whether, yet again, this changing of the guard will resolve Boeing’s issues only time will tell, but time, unfortunately, is not on their side,” Clark said. Industry executives and analysts have welcomed the management overhaul but all eyes are now on the next board chair, Steve Mollenkopf, who will lead a CE search. Pope, who is an obvious contender, has a background in finance. Dave Gitlin, a Boeing director who is CE of Carrier, which manufactures heating and cooling systems, has a background in aerospace, previously holding roles at Collins Aerospace and United Technologies. A third possible contender is Patrick Shanahan, head of Boeing’s supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which supplied the door plug that blew out during the Alaska Airlines flight in January.<br/>
