Boeing’s Board of Directors separated the roles of company chairman and CEO on Friday, removing Dennis Muilenburg from the position of chairman but emphasizing that he will remain Boeing’s president, CEO, and director. Independent lead director David Calhoun was elected to serve as non-executive chairman. According to the board, separating the roles will “enable Muilenburg to focus full time on running the company as it works to return the 737 MAX safely to service, ensure full support to Boeing’s customers around the world, and implement changes to sharpen Boeing’s focus on product and services safety.”
“The board has full confidence in Dennis as CEO and believes this division of labor will enable maximum focus on running the business with the board playing an active oversight role,” said Calhoun. “The board also plans in the near term to name a new director with deep safety experience and expertise to serve on the board and its newly established Aerospace Safety Committee.”
As previously reported by AVweb, the establishment of the Aerospace Safety Committee is one of several recently announced changes at Boeing related to the fatal accidents of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The company has also said it will start a Product and Services Safety organization along with implementing “extensive” recommendations made by the Board of Directors after the completion of “a five-month independent review of the company’s policies and processes for the design and development of its airplanes.”
