Embattled US aerospace giant Boeing has announced major management changes at the highest level. The group has been hit by major quality control issues in particularly (but not exclusively) its Commercial Airplane (airliner) business, most obviously (but again, not exclusively) with its 737 MAX single-aisle airliner programme.

Board chairperson Larry Kellner is standing down and will be replaced as independent board chairperson by Steven Mollenkopf. Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal is retiring and has already been replaced by Stephanie Pope. And, Group president and CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of this year.

Calhoun is remaining in office until the end of the year so that he can “complete the critical work underway to stabilise and position the company for the future”, stated the group, in its release. New board chairperson Mollenkopf will lead the process to select Calhoun’s successor.

“I am honoured and humbled to step into this new role,” said Mollenkopf, who has served on the board since 2020 and, before that, was CEO of Qualcomm. “I am fully confident in this company and its leadership – and together we are committed to taking the right actions to strengthen safety and quality, and to meet the needs of our customers.”

“Steve [Mollenkopf] is the ideal next leader to take on the role of board chair, and it is important that the CEO selection process be led by a new Chair who will stay at the helm as a partner with the new CEO,” affirmed Kellner. “With a strong board, an excellent management team and 170 000 dedicated Boeing employees, I am fully confident in our company’s future.”

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve Boeing,” stated Calhoun in a letter to Boeing’s employees. “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.”

Pope was previously president and CEO of Boeing Global Services. Before that, she had been chief financial officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. During her career in the group, she has held positions in every one of its business units.