David Calhoun is president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. He oversees the strategic direction of the Chicago-based aerospace company. With roughly 150,000 employees across the United States and in more than 65 countries, Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and one of the largest U.S. exporters. It is the leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes, military aircraft, and space and security systems, and a provider of global services; it supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 nations.
Calhoun, 62, became Boeing president and chief executive in January 2020. He has served as a member of Boeing’s board of directors since 2009 and served as chairman of the company’s board of directors from October to December 2019.
Calhoun has extensive expertise in a wide array of strategic, business, safety and regulatory matters across several industries as a result of his executive, management and operational experience.
Prior to leading Boeing, Calhoun served as senior managing director and head of portfolio operations at The Blackstone Group from January 2014. During his time with the investment firm, he focused on creating and driving added-value initiatives with Blackstone’s portfolio company CEOs.
Previously, he also served as executive chairman of the board for Nielsen Holdings from January 2014 to January 2016. He joined Nielsen in 2006 as chief executive officer shortly after it was acquired through a consortium of private equity investors, including Blackstone. Throughout his seven-year Nielsen tenure, Calhoun led the company’s transformation into a leading global information and measurement firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.
Calhoun began his career at The General Electric Company (GE), where he rose to vice chairman of the company and president and chief executive officer of GE Infrastructure, its largest business unit. During his 26 years at GE, he held a number of operating, finance and marketing roles, and led multiple business units, including GE Transportation and GE Aircraft Engines.
Calhoun is a member of the board of directors of Caterpillar Inc. He is a member of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin Advisory Council.
A native of Pennsylvania, Calhoun holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Virginia Tech. He is co-author of the book “How Companies Win” and is an avid golfer and skier. He is married with four children.
