Boeing taps Kelly Ortberg as next CEO amid skyrocketing losses


Boeing on Wednesday named Robert “Kelly” Ortberg as its next CEO and president, tapping an industry veteran to turn around a company beset by safety scandals, production problems and steep losses.

“Boeing has a tremendous and rich history as a leader and pioneer in our industry, and I’m committed to working together with the more than 170,000 dedicated employees of the company to continue that tradition, with safety and quality at the forefront,” Ortberg said in a statement. “There is much work to be done, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Ortberg, former CEO of Rockwell Collins, is scheduled to officially take over Boeing on Aug. 8. He will succeed Dave Calhoun, who has previously said he will retire this year.

Calhoun’s last several months as Boeing’s leader have been marred by a series of crises, including the Alaska Air blowout in January; production issues; difficult labor negotiations; glitches that have stretched out the first crewed flight of the Starliner space capsule; and a guilty plea to felony fraud related to 737 Max crashes from years ago.

Also Wednesday, the company reported a second-quarter net loss of $1.4 billion, more than triple that of a year earlier. Its revenue came in at $16.8 billion, down 14 percent from the same quarter last year.

Boeing chair Steven Mollenkopf said the choice of Ortberg came after an extensive search over the past several months.

“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,” Mollenkopf said in a statement.

Ortberg will also join Boeing’s board of directors.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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