Dennis Muilenburg speaks during their annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum on April 29, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois.
Jim Young-Pool | Getty Images
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg is the latest casualty in a string of chief executive exits this year.
Through November, 1,480 CEOs left their companies in 2019, according to business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s the highest number on record for the first 11 months of a year.
December has brought other high-profile resignations including the chief executives of United Airlines, Alphabet, Expedia, SoulCycle and Away, which would make 2019 the highest year on record for executive departures.
The previous highest total year on record was 2008, when 1,484 chief executives departed in the midst of the financial crisis. The firm started tracking CEO departures in 2002.
The vast majority of CEO departures this year were from private companies or the government sector. Only 284 of those exits through November were from publicly traded companies.
Muilenburg joins their ranks as Boeing battles scrutiny after two fatal crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max. The company announced the leadership change on Monday. Boeing Chairman David Calhoun will replace Muilenburg as CEO of the embattled manufacturer on Jan. 13. CFO Greg Smith will serve as the interim chief executive until then.
