Boeing sales chief McMullen to retire, company memo says

Boeing jetliner sales chief Brad McMullen is retiring in December and will be succeeded in one of the industry's most high-profile jobs by Ryan Weir, currently in charge of the North American market, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

McMullen, senior vice president of global sales and marketing, led the company's commercial recovery from a 2024 incident involving a mid-air door plug blowout, and was seen as instrumental in soothing concerns from rattled airlines.

"Brad has been at the forefront of our efforts to win in the market by developing deep and trusting relationships with our customers," Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope said in the memo.

Buoyed by a series of deals coinciding with foreign visits by US President Donald Trump, Boeing won its order race against Airbus in 2025 for the first time in seven years, a sign of the nascent turnaround at the US planemaker following back-to-back crises.

The company has enjoyed a surge of orders for its 787 wide-body jet but continues to lag Airbus in the busy market for long-range narrowbody jets like the A321neo -- a strategic gap it hopes to close with the upcoming approval of its 737 MAX 10.

Before running Boeing's North American sales, Weir served as sales chief for Boeing in India and South Asia and took charge of sales to global leasing companies, the memo said.