Boeing Names Stephanie Pope New COO

Boeing has named Stephanie Pope as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer on Monday (December 11), which puts her as the likely successor to David Calhoun as the company's CEO in the future.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the firm's update on Sunday (December 10), saying that Calhoun has been expected to remain in the top job for at least one more year after the company's turbulent past few years plagued by overlapping aircraft safety and pandemic-induced crises.

Boeing has extended the required retirement age from 65 to 70 for Calhoun in April 2021, giving him enough time to steer the planemaker through its recovery process after a series of flat spins.

"Stephanie brings tremendous operational, financial, and customer experience to this (COO) role, as well as a proven record of performance across our commercial, defense, and services business units," the boss described Pope in a statement on Monday.

Who is Stephanie Pope?

Prior to her appointment, Pope was the head of Boeing Global Services, the planemaker's aftermarket business. During the first nine months of this year, BGS was the only segment to report a profit as supply chain issues and cost overruns dragged its other two units - civil planemaking and defense.

She first joined Boeing in 1994 and has been involved in all three of the company's key businesses through the years, such as being the finance chief of the commercial airplanes business and vice president of finance and controller of Boeing's Defense, Space & Security segment.

In the event of Calhoun's death, incapacity, or resignation, Pope would become the first female CEO in Boeing's history. Her main competitors in the top job also include CFO Brian West and the head of its commercial airplanes business Stan Deal, the Journal added.

Stephanie Pope's New Role

As COO, Pope would oversee the performance of the company's three businesses, with the business unit CEOs, Boeing's chief engineer, and Boeing Global's president directly reporting to her. On the other hand, she and other senior corporate functional leaders would continue directly reporting to Calhoun.

"I am honored to step into this new role and look forward to working closely with Dave, our Executive Council, and all of our Boeing teammates," Pope said. "Together, we will continue to improve operating performance and remain committed to delivering for our customers, while ensuring the highest levels of safety, quality, and transparency in all that we do."

Tags

Boeing, Aviation