Posted on 03/10/2005 12:02:39 AM PST by Paleo Conservative
CHICAGO - Boeing Co. is investigating the activities of the female executive whose affair with then-CEO Harry Stonecipher led to his ouster and could take action against her, the company said Wednesday.
Spokesman John Dern said the company has no timetable for completing the investigation and declined to provide any other specifics. But a posting on Boeing's internal employee Web site acknowledged that "many employees have asked" why the woman who was involved in a personal relationship with Stonecipher remains with the company while he was asked to resign.
"General Counsel Doug Bain said that while the investigation of Stonecipher is complete, the investigation of the female executive's actions surrounding the matter is still in process," said the posting, obtained by The Associated Press. "If the facts of the completed investigation indicate that action is warranted, it will be taken, Bain said."
A Boeing source with knowledge of the investigation who asked not to be identified, said management is examining the woman's recent travel, expenses on her company credit card and any other areas where inappropriate conduct might have occurred.
The woman was identified Tuesday night by BusinessWeek Online, citing anonymous sources, as Debra Peabody, a 48-year-old divorced executive who reportedly first met Stonecipher in January at Boeing's annual executive retreat in Palm Desert, Calif. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times also named Peabody on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources.
Peabody, who manages office operations for Boeing in Washington and worked earlier for the company in Chicago, did not return telephone calls Wednesday. Boeing declined to confirm or deny she was the female executive involved.
Stonecipher resigned Sunday at the board of directors' request after acknowledging the affair, which was initially reported to company officials in a letter from an employee that was accompanied by a packet of material as evidence.
Chairman Lew Platt, who lauded the 68-year-old chief executive's performance at Boeing even while announcing his ouster on Monday, said the dismissal was prompted not by the consensual relationship itself but by Stonecipher's conduct, which violated the company's ethics code. That code states in part that employees shall not engage in conduct that "may cause embarrassment to the company."
Boeing officials have not disclosed more details. But the company source said Wednesday that "inappropriate" e-mail exchanges between the two, included in the tipster's packet, "played a part" in Stonecipher's ouster.
If you want on or off my ping list, please contact me by Freep mail not by posting to this thread.
Typical gender double standard (I realize that this observation will permanently bar me from assuming the presidency of Harvard).
Thanks for the ping(s).
Investigation is over. . .and so is Harry. . . he must be so sad with tens of millions in pay these past 2-yrs.
Color me curious about what the 48 year old woman looks like.
The tip off was Harry throwing perfect spirals threw the tire at the retreat in January
Just trying to stay in the game.
I sure hope his wife sails off into the sunset with lots of his millions and without him.
Being the subordinate, it is very likely she would sue if she is fired.
The Boeing Co. cut back on the number of its executives invited in January to the company's annual retreat near Palm Springs, Calif.
But one executive who did go to the leadership meeting at Rancho Mirage was Debra Peabody, 48, a vice president for the company's government relations office in Arlington, Va., outside Washington, D.C.
It was at that meeting -- where CEO Harry Stonecipher proudly signed his code of conduct form -- that Peabody and Stonecipher apparently hit it off, according to sources.
Whatever happened at Rancho Mirage, Stonecipher and Peabody were soon involved. The relationship brought down Stonecipher this week, and Boeing acknowledged yesterday it is still investigating the actions of the executive with whom he was involved.
She was identified as Peabody in published reports Tuesday night. Sources confirmed those reports, although Boeing continued yesterday to refuse to name her.
Sources told the P-I Monday that the female executive involved with Stonecipher is divorced. They also said that Stonecipher is separated from his wife and was at the time he began seeing the executive.
Yeah. . .the "Kobie" effect.
Scandals seem to harm Boeing in recent years.
'She needs to be fired'........
.....'maybe she'll be sent.....back.......to 'China'?
She needs to vacation on the east end of Cuba for a thorough debriefing.
All 'new' Boeing Aircraft to be called,......'P-Body'?
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