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.
Topics From This Article to Explore
