Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel faces criticism during her first days as an NBC contributor, LSU coach Kim Mulkey threatens to sue the Washington Post, and Stephanie Pope will become the CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplanes unit. Have a terrific Tuesday.
– Turbulent times. Boeing announced Monday that three executives were stepping down or retiring from the beleaguered aircraft company: CEO David Calhoun, chairman of the board Larry Kellner, and former Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Stan Deal. At the same time, it announced that one executive was stepping up: Boeing named COO Stephanie Pope to head its commercial airplane division as it tries to recover from a series of devastating mishaps.
The shakeup at the planemaker comes two months after a door plug flew off a Boeing 737 Max mid-flight, and several years after two crashes killed hundreds of passengers. Boeing’s quality control has been under intense scrutiny since the door plug incident, including by the FBI, regulators, and some passengers who say they are too anxious to fly on the company’s planes.
Pope, 51, became Boeing’s first chief operating officer in January, but has held numerous other positions at the company throughout her three-decade career there, mainly in finance, as detailed in this story by Fortune’s Jane Thier. Before Monday, she was seen by many as a shoo-in to take over for Calhoun when he eventually retired, according to the New York Times. Now, those succession plans appear to be in doubt; the company may consider an outsider to be its next CEO.
Calhoun told employees Pope was “the perfect person” to lead the commercial aircraft division going forward. In her new role, Pope will oversee the designing and building of planes, an operation that’s crucial to restoring the public’s trust in the larger company. It is a ‘glass cliff’ moment—the phenomenon of women being promoted amid crisis—if there ever was one.
But Pope, a third-generation Boeing employee, has found herself in pressure-packed situations before. “Women tend to be, myself included, more hesitant around challenges or new opportunities, and it really comes down to fear of failure,” Pope said back in 2017. “I remind myself that usually when I’m the most uncomfortable or the most fearful, those are the pivotal moments in life where I grew personally and professionally.”
Alicia Adamczyk
alicia.adamczyk@fortune.com
The Broadsheet is Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Joseph Abrams. Subscribe here.
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- Behind the sugar. A joint investigation between the New York Times and Fuller Project revealed a culture of forced marriage, coerced sterilization, and labor abuse for women working in the sugar mills of western India. PepsiCo, which supplies some of its sugar from these mills, promised to investigate the findings while Coca-Cola, which also sources sugar from the mills, declined to comment. New York Times
- Newsroom hot seat. On-air NBC and MSNBC talent is criticizing the network’s decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as an on-air contributor. Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough blasted McDaniel for supporting voter fraud conspiracies after the 2020 election, and Meet the Press host Chuck Todd knocked her for being untrustworthy during her first network appearance. Washington Post
- On court, in court? LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has threatened to sue The Washington Post for an in-progress article about her, which Mulkey called a "hit piece.” Mulkey, a fiery courtside presence, has a history of controversy stretching back to her days as a coach at Baylor University, where she reportedly told future WNBA star Brittney Griner to hide her sexuality and later refused to comment on Griner’s imprisonment in Russia. Forbes
- Banker behavior. Interviews with nearly two dozen Citi employees who worked in or around the bank’s equities division reveal a culture of sexual discrimination and harassment at the hands of male employees. Some female bankers claim they were asked to ignore incidents of unwanted touching or objectification when they complained to HR or managers. A Citi spokesperson said the bank fires employees "who fail to meet our high standards of respectful treatment" and that its "efforts to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace culture never stop." Bloomberg
- Out of network. New research finds that there were about 26,000 more self-managed medication abortions than expected in the six months after Roe v. Wade was overturned. The finding comes as the Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a case about access to mifepristone, an abortion pill. CNN
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"I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f*** of a lot more than I am."
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