Which CEO of Boeing succeeded Dennis Muilenburg in 2020?

Which CEO of Boeing succeeded Dennis Muilenburg in 2020? David Calhoun succeeded him. Calhoun became Boeing’s president and chief executive officer in January 2020 after Muilenburg resigned amid the crisis surrounding the 737 MAX.

Muilenburg had led Boeing since 2015, but two fatal 737 MAX crashes—in Indonesia and Ethiopia—triggered worldwide groundings, regulatory scrutiny, and intense criticism of Boeing’s safety culture. Boeing’s board removed Muilenburg in December 2019 and selected Calhoun, who had already served as the company’s non-executive chairman.

Calhoun was an experienced corporate executive rather than a career aerospace engineer. Before Boeing, he held senior leadership roles at General Electric and later worked at the private-equity firm Blackstone. His mandate was to restore trust with regulators, airlines, employees, and the flying public while Boeing worked to return the 737 MAX to service.

A common mix-up is James McNerney, whom Muilenburg succeeded in 2015. Phil Condit and Harry Stonecipher were also former Boeing CEOs, but neither followed Muilenburg. Calhoun led Boeing until August 2024, when Kelly Ortberg became CEO.