SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 -- Boeing named Erika Pearson on Friday as president of Boeing Business Jets (BBJ).

Pearson will lead the team responsible for the sales, support and operations of Boeing commercial products in VIP, government and military service and will report to Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the announcement said.

"Erika is perfectly suited to lead the BBJ team, providing world-class support to our global customer base," said Mounir. "A proven Boeing leader, Erika has vast industry experience, deep technical knowledge and is committed to exceeding the expectations of our BBJ customers."

Pearson most recently served as sales director in Asia Pacific leading the Singapore Airlines Group, Air New Zealand and Fiji Airways accounts for Commercial Airplanes. Previously, Pearson has held leadership roles across Sales & Marketing, and Product Development since joining Boeing as an aerodynamics engineer in 1993. Pearson succeeds JD Detwiler, who was recently named as business development leader for Boeing Defense, Space and Security programs, according to the company.

More than 260 Boeing Business Jets have been sold since the BBJ group was founded in 1996, the company said.

  - Xinhua