Boeing is overhauling the management structure of its commercial aircraft division, creating a new supply chain oversight role and reviving a position with responsibility for all Boeing’s commercial aircraft programmes.
Stanley Deal, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, announced the changes in a 22 April message to employees. Deal says the structuring will “reshape our organisation to reflect the new realities of our business moving forward”.
The restructuring comes one day after Boeing announced major changes to its broader corporate management structure.
The changes will see Mark Jenks transition from vice-president of the 737 programme to the position of vice-president of airplane programmes, a role that previously existed and has been vacant since 2016, Boeing says.
Jenks will now oversee all commercial aircraft programmes, and leaders of the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787 programmes will report to him. His responsibilities will include ensuring “consistency, best practices and learnings are applied across all of our airplane programmes”, Deal says.
Boeing vice-president of manufacturing, safety and quality Walt Odisho will succeed Jenks as the 737 programme’s vice-president and general manager and head of the Renton production site. Gary McCulley, currently 737 manufacturing operations leader, will step into the role of commercial aircraft vice-president of manufacturing and safety.
Elizabeth Lund, vice-president and general manager of commercial aircraft supply chain, will head an effort to integrate Boeing’s internal supply chain with its external supply chain. The internal chain provides components made in-house, while the external chain is composed of some 3,000 suppliers, says Deal’s letter.
Boeing vice-president of fabrication Kim Pastega will now report to Lund, who will report to Deal. Lund and Pastega will work to ensure supply chain “safety, quality, on-time delivery and cost competitiveness”.
Additionally, Mike Fleming, a vice-president in charge of the 737 Max return-to-service and the company’s aviation safety efforts, will also now lead Boeing’s customer support unit, based in Seal Beach, California. That change will align Boeing’s 737 return-to-service work with its customer support efforts, Deal says.
The changes also include the naming of Kent Fisher, who has headed Boeing corporate development, as chief financial officer of the commercial aircraft business. That position has been held by Kevin Schemm, who is moving to the role of senior vice-president of Boeing enterprise finance.
