Boeing names Travis Sullivan as new South-east Asia president
He replaces Penny Burtt in the role, who leaves to pursue a new opportunity
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[SINGAPORE] Boeing on Monday (Jun 22) named Travis Sullivan as the new South-east Asia president, effective Jul 3.
He will replace Penny Burtt who has left to pursue a new opportunity.
Sullivan has spent 16 years in total at Boeing and its units and was most recently the vice-president and general manager at aircraft part distributor Boeing Distribution.
He will now relocate to Singapore from Miami to oversee Boeing’s strategy and operations in the region.
His track record also includes two stints at the US Department of Commerce, where he spent three years in total, and a four-year period where he was a senior adviser to a US senator for foreign policy, commerce and trade.
Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global, said: “His background in international strategy and policy will help guide the future for Boeing in South-east Asia, a growth market for the company.”
At the Singapore Airshow in February, Boeing said that it expects South-east Asia’s aircraft fleet to grow from about 1,500 jets to 5,000 by 2044. Of this, about 19 per cent of planes will be wide-bodies like its long-delayed flagship, the 777X.
The growth will be driven by a doubling of the middle class and 7 per cent annual traffic growth.
Sullivan previously led Boeing’s strategy organisation and before that led strategy and business development teams at Boeing Defense, Space and Security and Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
He also held leadership roles in Boeing’s international strategic partnerships and international policy teams.
He holds a bachelors’ degree from the University of Washington, a master’s from George Washington University and a doctorate in international relations theory from Johns Hopkins University.
Singapore is Boeing’s South-east Asia headquarters, with regional offices also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.
Flag carrier Singapore Airlines has 31 Boeing 777-9s on order, and as at end-March was expecting deliveries of eight Boeing 737-8s and three Boeing 787-10s.
The airline is also in talks with Boeing and Airbus to buy at least 50 of the industry’s biggest jets, according to a Reuters report.
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