Boeing promotes service leader in possible prelude to top job

Boeing Co. named Stephanie Pope as chief operating officer, elevating a company veteran into the highest management sphere and turning her into a possible contender for the top job to succeed Dave Calhoun at the US aircraft manufacturer.

Pope, who has worked at Boeing for almost three decades, previously oversaw the company’s Global Services division, a post she assumed early last year. Prior to that, she was chief financial officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

As head of operations, a new position that Boeing is creating, Pope will oversee the performance of the three business units with responsibility for driving supply chain, quality, manufacturing and engineering excellence, the company said in a statement.

Management movements are closely watched at the biggest US exporter as Calhoun, who took over as CEO in 2019, approaches his retirement age. Boeing has emerged from several tumultuous years, following the grounding of its mainstay 737 MAX model, and then the pandemic that disabled air traffic around the world and disrupted supply lines. 

Pope would be the first woman to run Boeing, which also has a major defense subsidiary. The business she oversees, which provides services ranging from analytical tools for airlines to remodeling older passenger jets into air-cargo-haulers, was the only of the three main subsidiaries to report a profit in the third quarter, while the Defense & Space business and the Commercial Airplanes division had losses.

“Next year will be a significant transitional year in our performance as we continue to restore our operational and financial strength,”  Calhoun said in the release. “Stephanie will help drive the stability and predictability necessary to ensure we deliver on our customer, employee, regulatory, investor and other stakeholder commitments.”

Stan Deal, who oversees the commercial business, and Ted Colbert, the head of the defense subsidiary, are also possible contenders for Calhoun’s job. 

Whoever leads Boeing next will need to restore business in China, where deliveries of the 737 MAX are still outstanding following the grounding; ramp up production after several years of slow output; and push the company’s sustainable credentials as the aviation industry pushes to use more sustainable fuels and build the next-generation aircraft toward the middle of next decade. 

Boeing shares have returned about 28% this year, putting them on track for their best annual performance since 2017. European rival Airbus SE has risen by a similar amount in 2023.

Pope will start in her new job at the start of next year, reporting to Calhoun. Her successor at the services unit will be named at a later date, Boeing said.