Governance shake-ups at Boeing as Chief Sustainability Officer becomes CEO

Boeing’s Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond has been promoted to CEO of its services business after three years in the role. Brian Moran will replace him as CSO effective January 1, 2024.

The Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) role is a relatively new one globally, so for many in the position, it isn’t yet time to move on from it – and those who do often take on a similar role in another company. But Boeing’s announcement this morning is a clear sign that, when CSOs are fully integrated into the C-Suite, their career prospects are brilliant.

Raymond has been in charge of sustainability at Boeing since 2019, and was appointed as its first Chief Sustainability Officer (as well as becoming a member of its executive council) in October 2020. Now, just over three years later, he is preparing to lead the aerospace giant’s lucrative aftermarket arm, Boeing Global Services, which brought in revenues of US$17.6 billion last year.

Reporting to his predecessor Stephanie Pope, who was recently named Boeing’s Chief Operating Officer, he will lead all aspects of the services business, supporting commercial, government and aviation industry clients around the world. He remains on the executive council.

"Chris brings more than 30 years of Boeing expertise in nearly every aspect of our operations, and has strong employee, customer and supplier connections across our commercial and government markets," said Pope. "I'm confident he will continue the strong operational performance with our Services team and remain focused on delivering on our customer commitments."

Brian Moran named Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer

Based in Amsterdam, Moran steps into the CSO role from a brand and communications background and after serving as Boeing’s Vice President of Global Sustainability Policy and Partnerships for the last three years. As CSO and a new member of the executive council, he will report to the company’s President and CEO Dave Calhoun, as well as to the Governance and Public Policy committee of the Boeing Board of Directors.

He will be responsible for driving Boeing's sustainability efforts, focused on aerospace sustainability priorities – including the development of sustainable aviation fuel, in which the firm is involved through purchases, partnerships and lobbying – as well as stakeholder-oriented reporting and company performance.

"Sustainability is a key priority at Boeing, and I am confident under Brian's leadership, our team will continue to elevate our focus and enable our company and our industry to achieve a more sustainable aerospace future,” said Calhoun.

Boeing has a target of cutting absolute operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions by 55% by 2030, from a 2017 base year. In 2022, it achieved a 16% reduction – but as an aircraft manufacturer, more than 99% of its footprint sits in Scope 3, namely the use of its products by airlines and other operators. Last year, these emissions amounted to 424 million tonnes.