Ted Colbert, President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), will leave the beleaguered company, Boeing announced on Friday.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told employees in a letter that the company’s priority “is to restore the trust of our customers and meet the high standards they expect from us to enable their critical missions around the world.”
“I want to thank Ted for his 15 years of service at The Boeing Company, supporting our customers, our people and our communities,” he said in the letter.
In this Nov. 13, 2023, file photo, Ted Colbert, chief executive of Boeing Co.’s defense, space and security unit, speaks during a Bloomberg television interview at the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
Steve Parker will oversee BDS until a permanent replacement is found, according to Ortberg.
The company has endured enormous financial pressure and extra scrutiny following a series of failures involving its aircraft and delivery.
On Jan. 5, a door stopper blew out of the company’s 737 Max 9 aircraft at about 15,000 feet during an Alaska Airlines flight, prompting a federal investigation.
The Boeing Starliner, a spacecraft being developed for NASA’s commercial crew program, was hit by several delays and rising costs before its first crewed launch to the International Space Station in June.
But the spacecraft had to return without their astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams earlier this month after tests showed there was too much risk with respect to the vehicle’s thrusters for re-entry.
The astronauts are scheduled to return next year aboard another craft and extend their stay on the ISS by several months.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and Chairman Larry Kellner both announced their resignations in light of the investigations.
Last week, tens of thousands of Boeing workers voted for strike after rejecting the proposed contract.