The Boeing Company Board of Directors
Topic Summary
Once a symbol of American engineering excellence, The Boeing Company now faces one of the gravest crises in its century-long history. Following the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident in January 2024, when a Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a midair decompression after a fuselage panel blew off, the company was thrust back under intense global scrutiny. Although no fatalities occurred, the event reopened wounds left by the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 disasters, which together killed 346 people between 2018 and 2019. These tragedies revealed systemic failures in Boeing’s internal safety culture, regulatory oversight, and profit-driven decision-making. The Alaska incident reignited questions about whether the company has truly reformed or if deep-seated issues, rushed production, poor quality control, and misaligned corporate priorities, remain embedded in its structure.
In the months since, Boeing has faced mounting challenges from all sides: criminal investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, whistleblower allegations of misconduct, employee strikes, and a deteriorating relationship with regulators and the public. Financial instability, leadership turnover, and repeated safety controversies have eroded trust in one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, threatening not only Boeing’s reputation but also its role in global aviation and defense. The situation highlights a core dilemma: how can a multinational corporation rebuild its ethical foundation after repeated failures that endangered lives? The crisis forces questions of accountability, transparency, and reform to the forefront. Moving forward, Boeing must decide whether it will continue to prioritize cost and speed, or commit to restoring safety, integrity, and public confidence as the guiding principles of its future.
Dear Delegates,
It is my honor to welcome you to Boeing Board of Directors at HMUN 2026! I am Ved Pant, a Junior from Mumbai, India studying Applied Math in Economics. I started Model UN in middle school and have been involved in the Model UN program at Harvard in all capacities since coming to campus. On campus, I compete with our intercollegiate Model UN team, and staff our collegiate and high school conferences in Boston, Dubai, and Africa, and I am the Secretary General of HMUN India 2026! Outside Model UN, I work at our college consulting group, and play for the Kennedy School Cricket Team.
Boeing BoD will be nothing less than exciting, as we will navigate the ins and outs of this infamous corporation. I’m looking forward to the libey debate that will unfold and delegates’ ability to be flexible with the changes that will surely arise from the crisis nature. I will be placing equal focus on front room and backroom, looking for creative solutions and arcs that take committee to new heights (no pun intended). While balancing these unique situations, I expect delegates to maintain and collaborative and welcoming environment.
Best of luck, and see you soon!
Ved Pant
Director, Boeing Board of Directors
boeing@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2026
Dear Delegates,
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the Boeing Board of Directors of HNMUN 2026. My name is Juan Esteban Gallo and I am a senior at Harvard College studying Applied Mathematics to Economics and Comparative Literature (yes, I know it is a weird combination). I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, where I learned to love MUN at the tender age of 14. Since then, I have had the pleasure of being a delegate, director, and member of the secretariat of various conferences around the world.
Regardless of having taken part in a plethora of committees throughout my life, I am particularly excited to CD the Boeing Board of Directors following the incident of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.
While MUN is commonly seen as a competition between opposing sides, in this committee you will all have to work together to lead Boeing out of the crisis it faces in a swift and successful manner. As a result, when assessing delegates I will look favorably upon those who rise into leadership within the board, come up with the best strategies to deal with the crisis breaks that will show up during the committee, and overall encourage a positive atmosphere of teamwork and creativity for everyone involved.
Finally, I know that this is an uncommon topic, and some of the characters you are representing might have limited information about them out there. As a result, I am more than willing to help you out with any doubts or concerns you may have throughout the preparation process. Also, as I said before, I believe that you all have a great degree of freedom to embrace these roles and the issue at hand, so don’t feel too constrained by whatever is written on your placard.
Juan Esteban Gallo
Crisis Director, Boeing Board of Directors
boeing@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2026
