Boeing appoints consultant to lead comprehensive quality reviews

MEXICO - Airplane manufacturer Boeing has appointed Admiral Kirkland H. Donald as a new special advisor to Dave Calhoun, the company's president and CEO.

The Admiral and a team of outside experts will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Boeing's quality management system for commercial airplanes, including quality programs and practices at the company's manufacturing facilities and its oversight of commercial supplier quality.

Their recommendations will be provided to Calhoun and the Aerospace Safety Committee of the Boeing Board of Directors.

"Admiral Donald is a recognized leader in ensuring the integrity of some of the most complex and consistent safety and quality systems in the world," Calhoun said.

He added that he personally requested that he provide an independent, comprehensive assessment with actionable recommendations to strengthen quality oversight at his own factories and throughout the extended commercial aircraft production system.

"He and his team will have all the support he needs from me and the entire Boeing company," the CEO mentioned.

Admiral Donald previously served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer for 37 years.

In his last Navy assignment, he served as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program for eight years, ensuring the safe and effective operation of all nuclear-powered warships and supporting infrastructure.

He currently serves as chairman of the board of the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States, Huntington Ingalls Industries. He also chairs the board of directors of the non-profit organization Battelle.