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The man who led Boeing’s 737 Max program and the Renton factory where the jets were built will leave the company, the first significant staff shake-up since a Boeing-made jet suffered a hole blown in the side of its fuselage midflight last month.
In a memo sent to employees Wednesday, Stan Deal, chief executive of Boeing’s commercial airplane division, announced that Ed Clark, who had been appointed to the job in 2021, would be succeeded by Katie Ringgold. The memo also announced other leadership changes, including the appointment of a new senior vice president who will oversee quality control and quality assurance efforts.
The leadership changes come as the Federal Aviation Administration is working to complete an audit of the company’s quality assurance and control programs, the results of which are expected at the end of this month.
The stepped-up scrutiny comes after an incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines. On Jan. 5, shortly after takeoff, part of the fuselage blew off in an incident that terrified passengers and crew members. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that bolts used to the secure the part — known as a door plug — were missing.
Boeing has ousted the head of the 737 Max program as the planemaker fights to repair its reputation following a terrifying cabin panel blowout. Ed Clark, who was also general manager of Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington, is leaving the business with immediate effect, according to an internal memo. His exit was first reported by the Seattle Times.
Clark will be replaced by Katie Ringgold, who is currently vice-president of 737 delivery operations. Boeing also created a new role of senior vice-president for quality in its commercial airplanes business, appointing Elizabeth Lund to the post.
It comes after an initial report by the US safety regulator found the Alaska jet’s cabin panel appeared to be missing four key bolts. The bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were absent, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
In a message to Boeing employees on Wednesday, Stan Deal, who leads the company’s commercial airplanes division, said the changes were made as part of its “enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements. Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less.”
Clark “departs with my, and our, deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing”, Deal added, offering him the company’s “very best wishes”.
The shake-up followed a meeting of Boeing’s board, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s chief executive, has acknowledged the business faces a “serious challenge” to win back the confidence of regulators and airlines. Some analysts had called into question whether senior executives at the company would have to resign.
The Boeing executive who oversaw the company's troubled 737 Max program is out — part of a broader leadership change the company announced on Wednesday. The shakeup comes amid intense scrutiny of Boeing's quality control after a door plug panel from a 737 Max 9 aircraft blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight last month.
Boeing executive Ed Clark, who was in charge of the 737 Max program, has left the company. Clark oversaw Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington where the plane that became Alaska Airlines flight 1282 was assembled.
His departure was announced in a memo to the company's staff from Stan Deal, the CEO of Boeing's commercial airplanes division. Clark is leaving the company with "my, and our, deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing," Deal wrote.
That's not the only leadership change Boeing announced. Elizabeth Lund will fill the newly-created position of senior vice president of quality, where "she will lead our quality control and quality assurance efforts, as well as the quality initiatives we recently announced," Deal said.
Katie Ringgold was named Clark's successor as vice president and general manager of the 737 program and Renton, Wash. plant.
The management shakeup at Boeing comes ahead of a planned meeting between CEO Dave Calhoun and Mike Whitaker, the head of the FAA. Whitaker traveled to Renton to tour the Boeing 737 plant and meet with FAA employees on the ground.
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