Randy's Journal: Archives

07 September 2006

Change at the top

By now you've read or heard about the big changes here at Commercial Airplanes. Our new president and CEO is Scott Carson. Alan Mulally has joined Ford Motor Company as president and CEO there.

I know Scott and work with him on a regular basis. As has been pointed out in the news coverage this week, he is a natural choice to lead BCA. He's been around the company for 34 years, and he knows Commercial Airplanes inside and out. Those of you who follow us closely know that Scott Carson led the Sales team that delivered record airplane orders for BCA last year, and has continued to add to the backlog in 2006.

As you may have also read, Jim Jamieson is coming back to Seattle to assume a new position at BCA - chief operating officer - and will report to Scott. Jim had been senior vice president for Engineering, Operations, and Technology at our corporate offices. His move to BCA will definitely help keep the focus on executing our business plans.

For Boeing employees, and even for those who follow our industry closely, it seems like a lot of change all at once. But the bottom line is that this will not change our strategy and direction. Both Scott and Jim have been members of the BCA Leadership Team during Alan's tenure.

A personal note about Alan Mulally. He's left a legacy of working together to accomplish some amazing tasks over the years. He's made a tremendous mark not only on Boeing but on our industry. I join all of us here in wishing him the best as he takes his talents to the job at Ford.

I also know that Scott Carson is going to lead Commercial Airplanes with the same energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. Scott told employees on Tuesday: "We have a sound strategy that has been validated in the marketplace, and our financial performance is strong. We have a world-class team that has been built upon our Working Together principles and is taking our organization to new levels of growth and productivity with our Initiatives and Leadership Attributes."

What this means to me is, we're moving forward. We'll never quit listening to our customers. And we'll continue to improve efficiencies in our factories and our products and services - because, as Scott told one news reporter this week, the market never stands still.