The Boeing Co.’s executive ranks are being reshuffled due to the upcoming retirement of the company’s chief technology officer. The company’s commercial airplanes division is using the corporate moves to streamline its top leadership.
The cascading changes start with Boeing CTO John Tracy, who oversees several critical areas — engineering, operations and technology development — for the aerospace giant. He plans to retire in July following the company’s centennial celebration.
Tracy’s responsibilities are being split among four new positions reporting to — and created by — Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg. Ted Colbert, Scott Fancher, Greg Hyslop and Pat Shanahan are stepping into the new roles as senior vice presidents.
The shake up is part of the One Boeing strategy, which aims to better connect the mammoth enterprise’s various parts, Muilenburg said in a statement. “These moves are the natural next steps to build on our core strengths and talent,” and necessary to remaining competitive going forward, he said.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) President and CEO Ray Conner is using the opportunity to reconfigure his leadership team, including promoting new faces to key roles for the division: engineering and new airplane development.
Conner also eliminated one executive role: overseeing airplane manufacturing.
Instead, each airplane program head will report directly to him.
“Given the competitive environment we face, it makes sense to realign our leadership in a big-picture way instead of making piecemeal adjustments,” he wrote to employees in an email sent Tuesday.
Scott Fancher is leaving BCA to manage development programs across Boeing from its corporate headquarters in Chicago.
At BCA, the 57-year-old has gained a ‘fix-it’ reputation while managing several development programs: 737 MAX, 777X, 787-9, 787-10 and KC-46 tanker. He joined the tanker program in July in order to get it on track following development delays and supply chain problems.
BCA Vice President Mike Delaney succeeds Fancher in managing commercial airplane development programs and will report directly to Conner.
In turn, John Hamilton is taking over Delaney’s current position — overseeing engineering at BCA. Currently, he manages the division’s safety, security and compliance work, and previously was chief project engineer on the 737 program.
Greg Hyslop will manage the company’s engineering, testing and technology development work as a senior vice president in Chicago. The 57-year-old came from Boeing Research &Technology, which he joined in February 2013.
At BR&T, Hyslop was involved with moving thousands of engineering jobs out of Washington starting in 2013, when Boeing was asking the state for massive tax breaks in return for putting 777X wing production and final assembly here. Delaney at the time had a critical role in orchestrating the job moves and laying off more than 1,000 engineers.
Ted Colbert, 42, will now manage its IT strategy and operations from Washington, D.C. He is the company’s chief information officer, and in that role will continue overseeing the work of about 6,500 experts supporting Boeing’s IT-related programs that generate revenue.
Pat Shanahan, 53, is leaving BCA to handle manufacturing operations and supplier management across Boeing.
The newly minted corporate senior vice president will be based in Bellevue. He also will manage the company’s environment, health and safety, and its intellectual property programs.
His current role managing commercial airplane manufacturing is not being filled.
Instead, airplane program heads will report directly to Conner.
That decision is in line with the division’s goal to cut its workforce, starting with executives and managers, the head of BCA told employees.
In early March, the company began offering workers buyouts in an effort to avoid layoffs.
Elizabeth Lund will continue as general manager of the 777 program and also oversee the consolidated 747 and 767 program.
Bruce Dickinson, who currently manages the 747 program, will head up the 747/767 program and report to Lund.
The 767 program manager, Brad Zaback, will become deputy general manager for the 777 program focused and report to Lund.
Four BCA executives will join Conner’s leadership team in their current roles: Scott Campbell as head of the 737 program, Mark Jenks as 787 program manager, Beverly Wyse as head of Boeing South Carolina, and Walt Odisho as vice president of manufacturing and safety.
All changes — at the corporate level and the commercial airplane division — are effective April 4.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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