Nikki Haley has resigned from the Boeing executive board, the company announced on March 19, 2020. A former United Nations ambassador, Haley was part of the board since May 2019.
Haley, in a letter addressed to David L. Calhoun, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Larry Kellner, the Chairman of the Executive Board, and other members of the Board, argued that she cannot support the direction the board is going towards.
The pet peeve seems to be the recent public plea of a $60 billion bailout for the aerospace manufacturing industry that Boeing requested on March 17, 2020. The manufacturer requested the bailout to support the “health of the broader aviation industry because much of any liquidity support to Boeing will be used for payments to suppliers to maintain the health of the supply chain.”
Haley stated that despite the fact that “cash is tight” at Boeing, she cannot support “a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position.”
“I strongly believe that when one is part of a team, and one cannot in good faith support the direction of the team, then the proper thing to do is to resign.”
Haley’s resignation is effective immediately.