Former Boeing CEO Dennis Mulienburg
Dennis Muilenburg has been fired from his chief executive officer post at Boeing Co.
David Calhoun, who had served as chairman since October, will replace Muilenburg as CEO and president on January 13.
Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith will serve as interim CEO during a brief transition period, and board director Larry Kellner will replace Calhoun as chairman.
“The board of directors decided that a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers, and all other stakeholders,” Boeing said in the statement.
Boeing is trying to regain its footing amid the grounding of its once-popular 737 MAX aircraft. The planemaker’s reputation and finances have been battered after the Max disasters killed 346 people and prompted a worldwide grounding. Boeing’s design decisions and cozy relationship with the FAA are being scrutinized by Congress while the Justice Department is conducting a criminal probe.
While the plane’s design was largely set before Muilenburg became CEO, he bore responsibility for the company’s initial muted response — and the media firestorm that ensued when a second Max crashed less than five months later in Ethiopia. He would later describe the Max tragedies as the most difficult moments of his 30-year career.
The development of the Max is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress. A high-ranking Boeing pilot working on the 737 Max three years ago during its certification expressed misgivings about a feature since implicated in the crashes, calling its handling performance “egregious,” according to 2016 messages revealed Oct. 18.
