Boeing Looking for New CEO to Rescue Company from Diversity-Induced Collapse

Boeing is trying to turn this ship around. But the door has already blown off.

Reuters:

Boeing’s board has begun the search for a big-hitter to take the helm of the troubled planemaker following the turbulent tenure of CEO Dave Calhoun, with many industry executives and analysts predicting it will seek an outside remedy.

Facing mounting pressure from airlines, regulators and investors, Boeing on Monday announced a broader than expected shakeup with Calhoun, 66, stepping down by year-end on the heels of the company’s commercial planemaking chief and its chairman.

The U.S. planemaker has been wrestling with a growing crisis following a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane.

The new CEO will face numerous tasks, including improving the company’s safety culture, addressing quality issues and regaining the trust of regulators, customers and the public.

He also needs to hire even more blacks and women. Because diversity is Boeing’s greatest strength, and the only possible way they are going to keep the doors on these jet planes is by upping diversity to levels never before seen.

Boeing will also have to deliver on goals to ramp up production and boost cashflow as it tries to reduce debt and make up ground against European rival Airbus.

Just three months ago, Boeing appeared to anoint Stephanie Pope as a future leader after naming her chief operating officer following a successful stint running its services division.

But on Monday, Pope was named head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, replacing Stan Deal who retires, with responsibilities including the MAX factory.

Her new position makes a move into the top job less likely, at least for now, analysts said.

The company was teeing up Stephanie Pope to likely succeed Calhoun but that seems to have changed in favor of an external search for a new CEO,” Stifel analyst Bert Subin said.

Well, she’s a woman, so that would have been a really good choice.

But she is white.

What they are probably looking for is a black woman.

Black women are at the core of diversity, and the best tool for fixing mechanical and engineering failures.

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