Laurette T. Koellner is an American business executive, the former president of
Boeing International.
Early life and education
Koellner was raised in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and attended college at the
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
(UCF).
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from UCF in 1977, and an MBA from
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...
in 1980.
Career
McDonnell Douglas/Boeing
After earning her bachelor's degree in 1977, Koellner began work at
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it pro ...
as a contract analyst. She spent 19 years at McDonnell Douglas, with an end position of vice president of Internal Audit. After the
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
-McDonnell Douglas merger in 1997, she remained with Boeing, first as vice president and general auditor, before being named vice president and corporate controller in 1999. In 2000, she was named the senior vice president of the Shared Services group. From 2002-2004, she served as a member of the office of the chairman, as well as the company's chief administration and human resources officer (a position she held until 2004). In 2004, Koellner was named the president of
Connexion by Boeing
Connexion by Boeing (CBB) was an in-flight online internet connectivity service from Boeing. This service allowed travellers to access a high-speed internet connection while on board a plane in flight through a wired Ethernet or a wireless 802.1 ...
, a position she held until 2006, when she was named the president of
Boeing International. She remained in this position until her retirement from Boeing in 2008.
ILFC
In 2012, she was named executive chairman at the
International Lease Finance Corporation
The International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) was an aircraft lessor headquartered in the Constellation Place in Century City, Los Angeles, California, US.
It was the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General El ...
(ILFC), a subsidiary of AIG. The newly created position made her the company's most senior executive, overseeing ILFC CEO Henri Courpron, following revelations that Courpron had been involved in a personal relationship with an employee.
As head of ILFC reporting to AIG CEO Robert Benmosche, she stepped down from AIG’s board of directors. In 2012, she announced that she would step down once AIG’s planned sale of the unit was approved. The sale to AerCap was completed in May 2014.
Board positions
In 2003, she was elected to the board of directors of
Sara Lee Corporation
The Sara Lee Corporation was an American consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois. It had operations in more than 40 countries and sold its products in over 180 countries. Its international operations were headquartered in Utrec ...
as the chairman of the audit committee. When Sara Lee split into
Hillshire Brands
The Hillshire Brands Company was an American food company based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to its acquisition by Tyson Foods, the company employed over 9,000 people and generated nearly $4 billion in annual sales.
History
Founding and early yea ...
and
Douwe Egberts
Douwe Egberts is a Dutch brand of coffee which is majority-owned by JDE Peet's. It was founded in Joure, Netherlands, by Egbert Douwes in 1753 as De Witte Os ("The White Ox"), a general grocery shop. The company later started dealing specificall ...
, she maintained her board position until Hillshire merged with
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...
.
In 2009, she was elected the chairman of the audit committee on the board of directors at
Celestica, Inc. In 2009, she was also named an independent director of
American International Group
American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. , AIG companies employed 49,600 people.https://www.aig.com/content/dam/aig/amer ...
(AIG). She remained in this position through AIG's repayment of its $182.5 billion in government loans. In 2014 she was elected member of the Board of Directors for
Papa Johns
Papa John's International, Inc., d/b/a Papa Johns, is an American pizza restaurant chain. It is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States, with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia metropolita ...
pizza, and in 2015 as a member of the Goodyear board.
In September 2015, she joined the board of directors of the steel company
Nucor
Nucor Corporation is an American producer of steel and related products based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the largest steel producer in the United States, the largest "mini-mill" steelmaker (i.e. it uses electric arc furnaces to melt s ...
.
Advisory positions
Koellner serves on the Dean's Advisory Board of the UCF College of Business Administration, and has also served on the Board of Regents for the
University of Portland
, mottoeng = The truth will set you free
, established = 1901
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross)
, endowment = $218 million
, president = Robert D. Kelly
, students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...
. She is also a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
Recognition
* 2003: UCF College of Business Administration Hall of Fame
* 2005: Distinguished Alumnus Award from UCF.
* 2011: Distinguished Alumni Award from Stetson University.
* "Audit committee financial expert" by the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...
.
* 2014: Featured as the highest-ranking female in the history of the company in the book ''Trailblazers: The Women of The Boeing Company''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koellner, Laurette
Living people
University of Central Florida alumni
Stetson University alumni
American women business executives
American business executives
University of Portland people
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women