CEO
When Carolyn Corvi was nominated to join Boeing’s MIT Sloan Management program thirty-one years ago, she went down in the Company’s history as the very first female nominee. Since then she has seen more women find their place in the Company’s leading roles. She said, “Where I saw real change was in the early 1980s, when younger people came to work here came from families where moms and sisters or other women they were associated with already had careers. They did not act like a woman was out of place or different because, from their orientation, it was normal.”
Not only did Carolyn face being one of the only women in the aviation industry; she also had to convince management that her Bachelor of Arts degree in History was suitable for an engineering career. Although odds were against her; the creativity, innovation, and accomplishments she brought to Boeing caused her to stick out. One of her greatest achievements was cutting the 737 final assembly flow time in half, which got the attention of all Boeing’s competitors.
Carolyn has found herself constantly changing jobs during the 30 plus years she has worked for Boeing. Even though she saw the new responsibilities as great opportunities to discover new abilities, she was disappointed that she never saw the fruits of her time and dedicated energy. Today she no longer has that issue as she now oversees the unprecedented integration of commercial airplane production from the design, fabrication, and assembly of all airplanes to their delivery.
Outside of her work she enjoys keeping in tune with current events, foreign policy and politics, as well as one of her favorite sports – auto racing. She stays active by hiking, bicycling and adventurously traveling the globe. Her inspirational spirit is the driving force behind Boeing’s slogan, “Forever New Frontiers.”
What’s the scoop with Corvi’s Boeing?
Outlook for 2008: The Company believes this year will be another strong one, even after achieving three record years. Fitch Ratings also sees a positive future for Boeing as its outlook was recently changed from “stable” to “positive.” The rating agency’s “A-plus” rating is supported by the Company’s debt reduction and stronger than expected free cash flow.
Expanding Markets: Aviation markets are expected to get a strong boost since governments are easing regulations that were restricting access to certain markets. Boeing stands to benefit as developing regions become more influential on the international flying field.
Recent News: A couple of weeks ago Boeing announced that it won a new $73.7 Million U.S. Navy contract to develop a next-generation weapon system designed to improve the Navy’s surface warfare capabilities. The plane maker also excitedly announced that it formed a joint-venture with Tata Industries Limited of India and has already secured over $500 million of defense related aerospace component work.
Bottom line: For many years Boeing has established a reputation of building the best airplanes. Right now, about $224 billion dollars worth of orders are waiting to be filled, showing the powerful demand for the company’s airplanes. With more opportunities opening up around the world, the future looks bright for Boeing.
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