Washington (AFP)

David Calhoun, who will take over the head of the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing on January 13, is today more associated with the world of finance than with the aeronautics sector despite a long stint at General Electric (GE).

Current managing director of the investment company Blackstone, he was appointed last October chairman of the board of directors of Boeing, taking over part of the powers of Dennis Muilenburg whose resignation was announced on Monday.

At 62, Calhoun will have the daunting task of restoring confidence in Boeing, mired in the crisis of the 737 MAX, its flagship plane grounded since mid-March.

"I have a lot of faith in the future of Boeing and the 737 MAX," said the future boss, who made his debut at Boeing in 2009 as an independent director. "I am honored to lead this great company and the 150,000 dedicated employees who work hard to create the future of aviation," he added.

By hiring David Calhoun, Boeing opted for an expert in financial management and business strategy rather than an aeronautical specialist like Dennis Muilenburg.

The resigning executive had indeed joined Boeing as a trainee engineer in 1985 before obtaining his aerospace engineer diploma from the University of Iowa.

He then patiently rose through the ranks, taking the helm of Boeing's defense activities in 2009 before succeeding Jim McNerney as CEO in July 2015.

Industry specialists did not hide their skepticism on David Calhoun's profile on Monday.

- A transition boss? -

"In the short term, this is probably one of the best options because he worked with the Board of Directors" and he is therefore well informed of the 737 MAX crisis, said Michel Merluzeau, expert at Air Insight Research.

"But what Boeing needs in the long term doesn't match Dave Calhoun's profile," he said. "Boeing has too many financiers" in its ranks, therefore, David Calhoun could be a transition boss, he opines.

The former head of the agency responsible for transportation safety in the United States (NTSB), Jim Hall, also believes that for the long term, it would be better for the aircraft manufacturer to have a manager with knowledge more practical and deeper into the aeronautical industry.

David Calhoun "is probably good for stabilizing" the building in the short term, abounds Richard Aboulafia of Teal group, a research firm specializing in aviation and defense.

"But in the long run, I'm not sure it was the right decision," he added, noting that his experiences were more in private equity and "in the GE of the era." Jack Welch ", emblematic boss in the United States in the period 1980-2000.

These are skills that Boeing already has "in abundance", he points out.

For now, the future CEO wanted to spread the image of an open boss, already contacting government officials, members of Congress, the main airline CEOs, suppliers and investors , a Boeing spokesperson told AFP.

After studying accounting at Virginia Tech, Calhoun joined GE in 1981. In a 2005 speech to this engineering school, he said that the role of leaders is "to inspire change".

David Calhoun left GE in 2006 to head VNU Group, which would later become Nielsen Company, which went public in 2011.

At the Blackstone Group, where he has been working since January 2014, he focused on increasing the value of the company's interests, telling Bloomberg in 2017 that he preferred when a management team "plays in attack rather than in defense ".

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