New Boeing CEO Faces a Massive Job

13.08.2024 - 06:35 / travelpulse.com / Rich Thomaselli / David Calhoun

So, Boeing has a new leader.

Robert K. "Kelly" Ortberg has been named the CEO of the iconic but troubled company. He replaces David Calhoun after four years.

Calhoun faced increasing pressure and scrutiny to step down from the airplane manufacturer after the January 5 incident in which a door plug was not properly installed or missing and a panel blew off of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight.

It unleashed a torrent of problems that brought to light the issue of Boeing’s safety commitments and cutting corners.

Calhoun was a good guy with a good reputation, but you know the old saying. The buck stops here. So now it’s Ortberg’s turn.

Kelly Ortberg, Boeing (Photo Credit: Boeing)

He has a massive job in front of him on two fronts.

He has to change the method of operation and the culture of an entire company, which is not an easy job. Let’s face it, Boeing fell into a lull and a laissez-faire attitude. And complacency is a terrible thing.

The problem is that Boeing became two ingrained in the fact that it is only one of two companies in the world that do this sort of thing.

But equally as important, he has to win in the court of public opinion. Boeing has lost all confidence and trust. It has gone from a company that helped put a man in space and on the moon to a punchline. And the latter might be a more difficult task.

Simply put, Ortberg has to rebuild from scratch.

"The Board conducted a thorough and extensive search process over the last several months to select the next CEO of Boeing and Kelly has the right skills and experience to lead Boeing in its next chapter," said Steven Mollenkopf, chair of the board.

"Kelly is an experienced leader who is deeply respected in the aerospace industry, with a well-earned reputation for building strong teams and running complex engineering and manufacturing companies. We look forward to working with him as he leads Boeing through this consequential period in its long history."

That can’t just be a statement meant to appease the masses. It has to have some meaning behind it. Ortberg has to be held accountable at this critical time. The company can no longer live on its past successes. When a viral trend takes off that says “If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going,” you know your reputation is shot.

Ortberg will have to ensure that everybody from engineers down to the janitors realizes that the company can no longer live on name alone.

He might as well liken it to building a startup.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.