The Jan. 6 appointment of James Bell as chief financial officer of Boeing was well-received by many of Boeing's biggest stakeholders in the financial community. "He is someone who has proven himself over the years in finance," Chris Mecray, a senior aerospace analyst with Deutsche Bank, told the newsletter Aerospace Daily. "He is a known quantity, has excelled in the organization, is viewed as highly competent and is easy to interact with."

Before this appointment, Bell had served as the acting CFO since November 2003 and as the corporate controller since October 2000.

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BCC mulls options for commercial finance unit

Boeing Capital Corporation last month said it is considering selling or "winding down" its commercial equipment portfolio.

The commercial portfolio, which includes heavy equipment such as machine tools and steel processing equipment, represents about 19 percent of Boeing Capital's $12.2 billion in assets. Boeing Capital has hired Credit Suisse First Boston LLC to explore "strategic options" for the portfolio.

"Late last year we began refocusing our strategic direction toward supporting the operations of Boeing's business units," said Boeing Capital President Walt Skowronski. "While the commercial finance business has been a solid contributor to Boeing Capital's success, it is not at the core of our strategic focus going forward."

Boeing Capital also announced that it will move most of its operations that are currently located in Long Beach, Calif., to its headquarters in Renton, Wash.