Corporate Responsibility

Nice move by Boeing:

Michael Sears, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Boeing Co., had the required pedigree and background to become the next chairman and chief executive of the Chicago-based company.

But on Monday, Sears, 56, a resident of Lake Forest, was fired from his $1.2 million-per-year job. His wife said he was unavailable for comment.

[snip]

Sears’ undoing came in the wake of a scandal over an Air Force lease/purchase contract for 100 refueling tankers based on the Boeing 767 airliner.

The company said Sears, a member of Boeing’s three-member Office of the Chairman and the second-ranking officer of Boeing, was fired for violating company policies by communicating with Darleen Druyun, then an Air Force purchasing official, about future employment, when she hadn’t disqualified herself in matters involving Boeing.

The firing came shortly after Boeing said it learned of Sears’ discussions with Druyun. Druyun also was fired.

AB