By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing’s chief of public affairs and chief diplomatic officer is stepping down immediately, the plane maker’s CEO told employees in an email on Friday.
Ziad Ojakli will be replaced on an interim basis by Bill McSherry, who oversees the plane maker’s local government operations, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an email. Ojakli took over as Boeing’s head of government operations in September 2021 and previously headed Ford Motor and SoftBank’s government offices.
Boeing is facing a difficult year after a door plug missing four bolts blew off a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 at 16,000 kilometers in January.
Mr. Ojakli, who previously worked as an assistant to the former president, Mr. George W. Bush, could not be reached for comment. Boeing has declined to comment on the move.
The company has faced criticism from US lawmakers on several fronts. Boeing’s relationship with the US government is important and it is a major defense strategy for the Pentagon.
Ortberg took office in August during an ongoing investigation by the Department of Justice and the Federal Aviation Administration into the mid-air disaster. He has been working to improve Boeing’s relationship with the FAA and lawmakers. This week he held another meeting with FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in Seattle.
Ortberg also recently spoke with President-elect Donald Trump and discussed China’s new tariffs, a person familiar with the matter said.
Last month, Boeing said its head of commercial aircraft design, Elizabeth Lund, would retire in December. Lund spearheaded the aircraft manufacturer’s development plans. In September, Boeing said the head of its crisis and defense department was leaving immediately.
In July, Boeing reached an agreement to plead guilty to defrauding the FAA and pay $487,000 in fines. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on Thursday rejected Boeing’s plea deal, invalidating the division and merger agreement.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)