Boeing eliminates chief operating officer ‘legacy’ role as part of leadership shift

Boeing on Tuesday confirmed it had switched gears after removing Stephanie Pope from her role as chief operating officer, but she remains the second executive in command who continues to serve as commercial airlines manufacturing chief.  

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Tuesday confirmed Pope is no longer the chief operating officer.

The new flight plan comes after former CEO Dave Calhoun in late 2023 named Pope COO in anticipation of his retirement.

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Months later, Pope was named CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), the company’s largest business.

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital Wednesday that newly appointed President and CEO Kelly Ortberg is not talking about succession, and Ortberg believes Pope is excelling on the key performance indicators that guide production rates.

“The COO title was a legacy role going back to Calhoun, and Kelly has made other changes to streamline the organization,” the source said. “Stephanie is still leading BCA, the company’s second most important leadership role.”

Boeing told Fox News Digital Wednesday it does not “have anything to add” to the role change shared in the filing.

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Pope, who has been with the company three decades, was appointed to the newly established role in December 2023, according to a company biography.

Her primary responsibility was leading the commercial airplane business and strengthening safety and quality across its operations. 

Shortly after her hiring, a cabin door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX during a flight Jan. 5, 2024, prompting Boeing to make improvements. 

Other recent leadership changes include a new executive vice president of government operations, global public policy & corporate strategy announced Thursday.

Jeff Shockey will fill the role, leading Boeing’s global public policy efforts, including federal, state and local government operations and sustainability and the company’s global philanthropic organization, Boeing Global Engagement.

He will also be responsible for ensuring a “cohesive corporate strategy to communicate Boeing’s business interests” and driving engagement with public and private stakeholders, according to a statement from the company.

“Jeff’s tremendous record of accomplishment across more than 30 years in government, government relations and business development will be an asset as we work to restore trust with key government stakeholders,” Ortberg wrote in a statement. 

He added Shockey’s prior experience at Boeing and across the commercial and defense industry “will support our ongoing focus on strengthening our culture and building a new future for Boeing based on a strong foundation of safety, quality and performance.”

Shockey returned to Boeing after leading global government relations at RTX. 

Aside from his prior Boeing leadership roles, he served as a staff director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, staff director and deputy director of the House Appropriations Committee and other senior staff roles in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He will report to Ortberg and serve on the company’s executive council.