By AP/KWMU
Chicago, Ill. – The Chairman and C-E-O of Boeing has resigned. Phil Condit said in a statement this (Mon.) morning he resigned to quote "put the distractions and controversies of the past year behind us."
The resignation comes days after Boeing fired its top financial executive, former St. Louisan Michael Sears. Sears said he negotiated the hiring of a missile defense expert while she worked for the government and was in a position to influence Boeing contracts. The former Air Force official was also dismissed.
The company is under investigation for its behavior in winning an Air Force contract for 100 air tankers.
The resignation also comes as the company is within days of a decision on whether to offer the proposed 7E7 to airlines and a highly publicized competition for where that plane might be assembled.
Condit has been Boeing CEO since 1996 and chairman since '97.
Under his leadership the company merged with McDonnell Douglas and moved its headquarters to Chicago.
Harry Stonecipher, 67, was named the new President and CEO. He has served a number of roles for the Chicago-based company before he retired last year. He's
been vice chairman, president and chief operating officer and has also served as a Boeing director for six years.
The company also says Lewis Platt, 62, has been named non-executive chairman. Platt has been a member of Boeing's board of directors for four years. He's a retired chairman of the board and president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company.