Boeing

The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today named Kees Blekxtoon as President of Boeing Northern and Western Europe. He will represent the company's business interests and coordinate companywide business activities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal. He also will assist Boeing in Central Europe pending the later appointment of a regional leader there. He will be based in the Boeing office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

" The appointment of Kees is another milestone in Boeing's globalization plan and will elevate our presence in the region," said Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit. "Kees will develop and implement an integrated companywide strategy that will be centered around expanding the Boeing footprint, establishing new relationships and generating new revenue growth opportunities."

Blekxtoon, 64, was president of Stork International from 1987 to 2003, where he was responsible for all international activities and business development. His career in international business spans 35 years and includes senior positions in marketing, sales, business development, licensing and co-production. He also focused on the international activities of the Fokker Aerospace Group after its acquisition by Stork in 1996.

" Blekxtoon brings a unique set of qualifications, regional expertise and experience to this position," said Tom Pickering, Boeing senior vice president of International Relations. "He is an accomplished business leader with a proven record of expanding business across borders. We are positioned now to pursue country-level opportunities as they emerge and to incorporate the synergies created by a broad European presence," Pickering said.

Sales, marketing and supplier-management responsibilities in Blekxtoon's region will remain with the Boeing business units: Commercial Airplanes, Integrated Defense Systems, Connexion by Boeing, Boeing Capital Corporation and Air Traffic Management. Blekxtoon will support the sales teams as they conduct their campaigns across the region.

Blekxtoon joins a group of nine Boeing executives who have been appointed in the past 16 months in Europe.

" I am eager to embark on this mission, because with my background in international industry and commerce, I could contribute to Boeing's global growth initiative in a meaningful way," said Blekxtoon. "Boeing is a dynamic, high-technology aerospace company with a diverse set of products and services. I believe there is real business potential for the company to pursue in the various market segments that exist in my region, which comprises of 12 developed countries with approximately 78 million inhabitants."

Boeing's network of more than 500 European partners and suppliers provides the company with components, services and systems valued at more than 4 billion euros annually. In 2002, Europe generated more than 8 billion euros in revenue for the company.

C1982