Dennis Muilenburg is logically paying for the crisis that has shaken Boeing since the grounding and freezing of deliveries of the Boeing 737 MAX last March. Boeing’s CEO therefore resigns after having been forced to abandon his duties as chairman of the board of directors a few months earlier. Dennis Muilenburg will be replaced by David Calhoun who had already succeeded him as chairman of the board of directors of Boeing. This last function will be taken over by Lawrence Kellner who said: “David Calhoun has deep industry experience and a proven track record of strong leadership, and he recognizes the challenges we must confront”. Greg Smith who is CFO of Boeing will serve as interim CEO during the brief transition period.

David Calhoun spent 26 years in the General Electric group in management positions in the various business segments of the U.S. giant, including GE Aircraft Engines. In 2006, he became managing director of Nielsen Company BV before combining this function with that of managing director of Nielsen Holdings from 2010. In January 2014, he became chairman of the board of directors of Nielsen Holdings while joining the fund Blackstone Investments as Managing Director.