ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing has promoted the head of its services business to chief operating officer, putting the female executive in discussion as a potential heir to CEO David Calhoun in a male-dominated industry.
Boeing announced Monday that Stephanie Pope’s elevation to the position, which includes the title of executive vice president, would take effect Jan. 1.
Pope spent nearly 30 years at Boeing, holding key financial positions in the company’s defense, commercial aircraft and services divisions. She became CEO of the services unit last year.
Some industry observers were quick to point to Pope, 51, as a candidate to be the aerospace company’s next CEO. Richard Aboulafia, chief executive of aerospace consultant AeroDynamic Advisory, named Pope and Chief Financial Officer Brian West as potential successors to Calhoun.
Calhoun, 66, holds top job since January 2020, when he replaced Dennis Muilenburg, who was fired following two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 Max jets. Calhoun, however, has shown no indication that he plans to retire anytime soon.
Days after Calhoun turns 64 in 2021, Boeing raised the retirement age for the CEO from 65 to 70 years old – he won’t reach that age until early 2028. In February of this year, the company’s board awarded Calhoun a $5.3 million retention grant that will not will only be acquired in 2025.
Boeing has faced manufacturing and supply chain problems that halted production of the Max and a larger jetliner, the 787 Dreamliner. It also suffered setbacks in its military programs, including a contract with the US Air Force to build two new presidential planes.
The company lost $2.2 billion first nine months of this year after losing more than $5 billion last year. However, the commercial aircraft order backlog is huge as airlines look to upgrade their fleets with more fuel-efficient models.
