Veteran corporate executive Ed Dandridge has been named Boeing’s new senior vice president and chief communications officer for global operations, the jet maker said Wednesday.
Dandridge holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Boeing said in an announcement. He started his career working as an attorney in New York.
Dandridge also is a member of the Economic and Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Dandridge will report to Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun, effective Sept. 28, and serve on the aircraft manufacturer’s powerful executive council.
Dandridge becomes Boeing’s new communications czar and replaces Niel Golightly, who was hired in December but then abruptly resigned in July after a Boeing worker complained about views he espoused in a 1987 article arguing that women should not serve in combat roles for the U.S. military.
Dandridge joins Chicago-based Boeing from insurance giant AIG, where he worked as global chief marketing and communications officer of its general insurance division since April 2018.
He also has worked at Marsh & McLennan, Nielsen, ABC-TV and has served as president and CEO of the National Association of Investment Companies.
In his new job, Boeing said, Dandridge will oversee all of Boeing’s communications, including the messages shared by its three business units, corporate communications at its Chicago headquarters, media relations and public affairs, leadership communications, as well as employee engagement, corporate branding and marketing.
“Ed is an exceptional communications executive, strategist and global leader with a track record of developing and leading high-performing teams that enable businesses to deepen their engagement with customers and drive outcomes,” Calhoun said in a statement about his new hire.
“I know Ed will continue to build on our unwavering commitment to engaging our associates and stakeholders with transparency as we confront these challenging times as an industry and company,” Calhoun added.
Boeing has more than 4,600 employees in Philadelphia supporting the manufacturing of H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey and MH-139A Grey Wolf rotorcraft, and a number of services and engineering efforts. The plant is located in Ridley Park near Philadelphia International Airport.
Source: bizjournals.com