OREANDA-NEWS. Boeing (NYSE: BA) today named Bernie Dunn president of Boeing Middle East. Dunn will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and report to Marc Allen, president of Boeing International. The change is effective immediately.  

Dunn, who is fluent in Arabic, has lived and worked in the region for most of the last 30 years. Before joining Boeing in July 2012 as president of Boeing Turkey and North Africa, Dunn was vice president, Middle East/Africa, Business Development, ITT Defense International for 10 years.

Based in Ankara, Dunn has led Boeing activities in Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya for the past three years. Dunn’s successor will be named at a later date.

“Bernie successfully led Boeing across all facets of our business interests in Turkey and North Africa,” said Allen. “He strengthened customer relationships, identified new growth opportunities and supported the company business units with his country knowledge and market expertise. Bernie is uniquely qualified to lead our company in the Middle East region.”

Dunn will be responsible for Boeing’s growth and productivity plans and government affairs and for implementing the company’s strategy across the region. He also will support Boeing business units and functions as they pursue their business objectives and closely coordinate with Boeing Saudi Arabia President Ahmed Jazzar. He succeeds Jeff Johnson, who was named vice president, Business Development and Strategy, Boeing Military Aircraft, earlier this year.

Dunn entered the Army’s Foreign Area Officer program in 1982. After completing Arabic language training and a master’s degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., Dunn served in a variety of positions in the Middle East. Key subsequent assignments included service as the U.S. Army attach? in Jordan from 1992 to 1994, Defense and Army attach? in Syria from 1997 to 2000, and Defense and Army attach? to Saudi Arabia from June 2000 until June 2002.

Boeing’s relationship with the Middle East dates back more than 60 years. Its first office was established in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 1982. Since then, the company has expanded its presence and relationships across the region. Boeing opened an office in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 1999 and a regional office in Dubai in 2003. The company recently expanded its footprint with a new office in Doha, Qatar, in November 2010.

Boeing is the world’s leading aerospace-based company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. With corporate headquarters in Chicago, Boeing employs 165,000 people in more than 65 countries.