Who is Dave Calhoun? All about the Boeing CEO after announcing decision to step down amid company’s crisis 

Dave Calhoun, the president and chief executive of Boeing announced on Monday, March 25, that he intends to leave the company by the end of the year, following the safety scandal and federal investigation.

The 66-year-old Philadelphia-born business executive has been the CEO of Boeing since January 2020. The decision comes after a fallout in early January when a panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane in midair during an Alaska Airlines flight.

Calhoun said in a note to employees on March 25, 2024,

"As you all know, the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident was a watershed moment for Boeing. We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company."

There have been other changes in the leadership of the aircraft maker.

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Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun stepping down amid safety crisis

Dave Calhoun was born on April 18, 1957, in Philadelphia and grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1979, he earned his graduation degree in accounting while attending Virginia Tech, as per his biography on the Boeing website.

The businessman had a keen interest in sports, as he was one of three captains of the varsity basketball team and played golf during college. From the university, Dave Calhoun went to work at General Electronics for 26 years, overseeing transportation, aircraft engines, reinsurance, lighting, and other GE units.

He then joined a privately held global information services firm VNU as CEO in 2006 and worked in another company called The Blackstone Group as a Senior Managing Director and head of Private Equity Portfolio in 2014, before joining Boeing. The 66-year-old started at the aircraft brand as a director in 2009 and was named lead independent director in 2018.

Dave Calhoun became the CEO of Boeing in January 2020 and is supposed to step down from the position by the end of 2024. He was originally appointed for the job after the two air disasters surrounding the aircraft makers.

The crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines in 2018 and 2019, which killed a total of 346 people, both involved the failure of a Boeing software system known as MCAS. On Monday, Dave acknowledged the ongoing challenges in an interview with CNBC saying,

"We have this bad habit in our company. When you move it down the line, it sends a message to your own people that 'Wow, I guess the movement of the airplane is more important than the first time quality of the product.' And we have got to get that in way more balanced. Without a doubt."

The Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident also prompted some changes in the leadership personnel of Boeing. Along with CEO Dave Calhoun's departure, the company's chairman, Larry Kellner, has also decided not to stand for re-election as a board director. The board has elected former Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf as Kellner's successor.

The aircraft makers also announced that Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will also step down. Stephanie Pope, Boeing’s chief operating officer since January, will take his position effective immediately.

The problems around Boeing have led to multiple groundings for safety issues and more than $31 billion in losses.