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Top Boeing job for Asiaphile Conner
July 1st 2012
Ray Conner, a man with an in-depth knowledge of the Asia-Pacific aircraft market, has been appointed president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), writes Barry Grindrod. He succeeds Jim Albaugh who is to retire. Read More »
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| New Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief, Ray Conner: well known in the Asia-Pacific |
Conner (57), a 34-year Boeing veteran, started as an aircraft mechanic on the B727 programme. His first visit to the region was in the mid-Eighties with Boeing’s purchasing division building contacts with suppliers in countries like China, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Indonesia.
His first sales trip was in 1993 when his team pulled off a major campaign win over Airbus with Thai Airways International. “I always remember that first sale,” he told Orient Aviation in an exclusive interview earlier this year.
In 1999, he was appointed head of sales for the Asia-Pacific. He was most recently senior vice-president, sales and customer support for BCA.
“Ray’s breadth and depth of experience in commercial airplanes is unmatched in our industry,” said Boeing chairman, president and CEO, Jim McNerney. “He has built airplanes, sold airplanes, serviced airplanes, managed our largest programmes, knows our customers extremely well and is respected by our employees.”
Among his other leadership roles, Conner has been vice-president and general manager of the B777 and B747 programmes.
A straight shooter and well respected in Asia, he told Orient Aviation he always knew carriers like Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines would be world leaders. “You could see it from their operations, from their product,” he said in the March issue of Orient Aviation.
He also outlined at the time how Boeing could regain the top spot in sales and deliveries from Airbus. “We need more stability. Stability is about regaining our focus on the customers,” he said. “People need to trust you. Hopefully, my team and myself will be able to provide that stability.”
