Executive Ziad “Z” Ojakli, the main lobbyist for Boeing and head of its influential Washington operation, has left the company. The information was confirmed by CEO Kelly Ortberg this Friday (6), in a statement to employees obtained by Bloomberg.
According to the website Politicothe leadership change was reportedly prompted by a disagreement with Ortberg over lobbying strategy, citing a person close to Ojakli. A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment.
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Disbandment of the executive council
Ojakli is the fourth member of Boeing’s executive board to leave the company since Ortberg took over as CEO in early August. He is working to turn around the manufacturer’s situation after years of scandals and turmoil, in addition to a series of crises this year, which began when a part came loose from a Boeing 737 Max mid-flight in January.
Boeing is in the process of reducing its workforce by 10%, equivalent to around 17,000 jobs. Ortberg has already warned that the cuts will affect all levels of the company.
Other senior leaders who have left Boeing include former defense division chief Ted Colbert and Brian Besanceney, the company’s communications chief. Elizabeth Lund, senior vice president responsible for commercial airplane quality at Boeing, announced that she will retire in December.
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Who takes over now
Bill McSherry, Boeing vice president for state and local government operations, will temporarily take over the planes role until the company finds a successor. The change is immediate.
Ojakli, a former top lobbyist for Ford Motor, joined Boeing in a similar role in 2021 and, according to some sources, faced a rocky transition marked by employee departures and lost relationships with some key lawmakers. The company has come under a barrage of bipartisan criticism from U.S. lawmakers over its quality and safety failures this year, including former CEO Dave Calhoun’s testimony before a Senate subcommittee.
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