Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boss Vacates COO Role, Retail’s Unfazed

Boeing (BA) stock garnered retail attention on Tuesday after the company said Stephanie Pope, the chief of its commercial airplanes unit, no longer held the chief operating officer (COO) title.

According to a securities filing, the change was effective from Feb. 19. Pope would continue to serve as the CEO of its commercial airplanes unit, the company said.

The company had created the COO role in late 2023, and Pope was seen as the likely successor to CEO Dave Calhoun, according to multiple media reports.

However, just weeks after her appointment, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane. The incident threw the company into a fresh crisis, leading to Calhoun's eventual departure. The company then hired Kelly Ortberg as the chief executive.

Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that the company does not intend to fill the COO position.

On Tuesday, Boeing also said that board member Sabrina Soussan would not stand for re-election at the company’s 2025 annual shareholders meeting, and the company would effectively reduce the size of its board.

Boing posted its biggest annual loss since 2020 earlier this year, and its fourth-quarter revenue in the commercial airplanes segment fell 55% to $4.8 billion.

The company’s airplane deliveries rose to 45 in January from 30 in December.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits remained in the ‘bearish’ (39/100) albeit with a slightly higher score than a day ago, while retail chatter remained ‘normal.’

One user said the step was in the right direction but wanted Pope to leave the company.

Over the past year, Boeing stock has fallen 11.3%.

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