Boeing needs to find a new CEO by the end of the year when Dave Calhoun steps down. There have been plenty of rumors so far, and the list of candidates has grown.
According to The Air Current, former Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg has joined a list of contenders that includes current Spirit AeroSystems chief executive Pat Shanahan and Boeing COO Stephanie Pope, who recently took over the role.
Reuters also included the planemaker’s chairman, Steve Mollenkopf.
Kelly Ortberg
The former Rockwell and Collins Aerospace executive retired in 2021 after more than 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense. Ortberg led the company’s two major acquisitions in 2013, when ARINC was acquired, and in 2017 with the purchase of B/E Aerospace.
Pat Shanahan
Shanahan is a former Boeing employee who joined the company in 1986 and was involved in the development of the widebody 777.
He worked on several commercial and military aircraft programs until 2017 when he took over as Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration.
In September 2023, Shanahan was appointed CEO of Spirit AeroSystems in an attempt to get the company back on track. With the announcement of Boeing’s acquisition of the supplier, his position is expected to become redundant.
Stephanie Pope
A career Boeing employee with more than three decades at the company, Stephanie Pope has held positions in Boeing’s finance division.
In recent years, Pope served as vice president and chief financial officer of Boeing Global Services and then Commercial Airplanes.
In January 2024, she took over as Chief Operating Officer of The Boeing Company and replaced Stan Deal as CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in March, during the announcement of changes to the board and management.
Regardless of who is chosen, Boeing’s new CEO will have the difficult task of restoring the company’s image, which has been shaken by scandals for years, and regaining the ability to produce and launch new products in the competitive aerospace market.
