Boeing announces key executive appointments in Saudi Arabia

Ahmed Jazzar takes up the new position of president, Boeing - Saudi Arabia. He will coordinate all Boeing activities and company strategy to pursue growth in the Kingdom. He also will focus on strengthening local-market presence and profile.

Sales and marketing responsibilities will remain with the business units - Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Integrated Defense Systems, Connexion by Boeing and Boeing Capital Corporation. Jazzar will support the sales teams as they conduct their campaigns in the Kingdom.

Michael Probasco has been appointed president of Boeing Middle East Limited (BMEL) succeeding Marcus Hurley. BMEL is based in Riyadh and represents the company's Integrated Defense Systems business unit. Hurley has accepted a new position of regional director for business development in the Middle East and North Africa for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

Jazzar brings with him a wealth of experience, having spent 30 years with Saudi Arabian Airlines and retiring as its vice president, Technical Services Division. In this position, he oversaw the engineering, planning and maintenance operations of Saudi Arabian Airlines' fleet of 100 aircraft and managed a workforce of over 5,800. He also established the training institute in Jeddah for maintenance technicians to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license requirements and helped the airline achieve Joint Aviation Administration certification and expand its FAA certification.

Jazzar completed his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed the Columbia Senior Executive Program at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, New York.

Michael Probasco joined Boeing in 1997. He has been manager of Boeing's F-15C Distributed Mission Training Program for the Royal Saudi Air Force, and manager of the Boeing F-15 Training Systems and Services Program for both maintenance and aircrew. Probasco earned his bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering and a masters from the University of Kansas. He was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1974 and served as a fighter pilot in the F-15C.

Tom Pickering, Boeing's senior vice president of International Relations said, "The Middle East is an extremely important market for us and Saudi Arabia has been one of Boeing's key customers in the region. These appointments underline Boeing's ongoing strategy to build a strong team of country and regional leaders to support company growth and strengthen relationships with our customers, partners, suppliers and other stakeholders."