DALLAS, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced the
following leadership changes.
Tom Nealon, 60, has decided to
retire from his duties as President effective immediately, but will
continue to serve the Company as a strategic advisor, focusing
primarily on the airline's environmental sustainability and carbon
emissions reduction plan. Nealon has held numerous leadership
positions during his tenure with the airline, including Executive
Vice President Strategy & Innovation from 2016 to 2017,
Director on the Southwest Board from 2010 to 2015, and in a
consultant capacity as Senior Vice President and Chief Information
Officer from 2002 to 2006.
"I'm honored to have served Southwest throughout the years in
several different capacities, and especially to have been President
of the best airline in the business," Nealon said. "I look forward
to continuing to serve and advise Southwest on strategic
initiatives, and most importantly, on the airline's long-term
environmental sustainability plans."
Gary Kelly, Southwest's Chairman
and CEO, announced on behalf of the Southwest Airlines Board of
Directors that Chief Operating Officer Mike
Van de Ven, 59, has been named as the Company's President,
effective immediately. Van de Ven
will take on the additional responsibilities of the Company's
Internal Audit, Business Continuity, Emergency Response, and
Enterprise Risk Management functions.
"I want to thank Tom for his countless contributions to the
cause that is Southwest Airlines over the years—they are many and
immeasurable. I'm grateful Tom will continue serving as a strategic
advisor. I'm thrilled for Mike as he assumes his new role as
President, in addition to COO. Mike is as talented and dedicated a
leader as one will find, and he has directly contributed to
Southwest's success during his 28 years serving the Company and our
People.
"The transition efforts being led by Executive Vice President
and incoming CEO Bob Jordan are
going extremely well, and as that continues, we are taking steps to
shift reporting roles in preparation for Bob to assume the CEO role
on February 1, 2022," said
Kelly.
As the transition progresses, the Finance, Commercial, Legal
& Regulatory, Operations, and Technology teams that were
reporting to Kelly or Nealon will now report to Jordan, also
effective immediately.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I'd like to thank Tom for
his nearly five-year tenure as President and more than 15 years of
service to our Southwest Airlines Employees, Customers,
Shareholders, and the Communities we serve," said Southwest
Airlines Lead Director William
Cunningham. "We are extremely proud to have such a talented
and robust leadership bench at Southwest Airlines, and are
delighted with the announcement of Mike Van
de Ven as Tom's successor."
Southwest Airlines also announced additional Senior Leader
promotions:
- Laurie Barnett, from
Managing Director Communications & Outreach, to Vice President
of Communications & Outreach. Barnett is responsible for
guiding the efforts of the airline's Public Relations &
Communications, Creative Studio, Digital & Social Business, and
Community Outreach functions. She also helped create and provided
Leadership support for the Company's Emergency Response, Business
Continuity and Enterprise Risk Management functions.
- Ryan Martinez, from
Managing Director Investor Relations, to Vice President of Investor
Relations. Martinez has been instrumental in evolving Southwest's
IR strategies and communications along with the changing economic
environment. Under his Leadership, Southwest is well-positioned to
continue effectively communicating with investors while the Company
manages through the pandemic.
- Juan Suarez, from
Managing Director, Deputy General Counsel in the Legal Department
to Vice President Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Suarez serves
as Southwest's executive-level champion for organizational goals
related to diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally and
externally. Among other things, Suarez is responsible for creating
and driving the development of diversity initiatives that align
with our business objectives and advises on policies and practices
involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will partner closely
with peers throughout the Company on diversity, equity, and
inclusion efforts as it applies to, among other things, supplier
diversity, diversity hiring and recruiting, and training.
- Marilyn Post, from Deputy
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Vice President Legal and
Corporate Secretary. Post heads the Legal Department's Corporate
& Transactions Team, which is responsible for assisting with
the legal aspects of all of Southwest's securities and
transactional matters. She also serves as a senior advisor to the
Company's Board of Directors and Executive Team on corporate
governance, executive compensation, and SEC matters.
- Lauren Woods, from
Managing Director Technology, to Vice President
Technology-Technology Platforms. Woods and her Teams are
responsible for delivering stable technology platforms and driving
transformation efforts across Technology. Under her leadership, the
Technology teams will continue to focus on building out new modern
foundational platforms used and leveraged by development Teams to
increase efficiency and speed to market.
"I am pleased with the Team's flexibility and support as we
continue the steady pace of our Leadership transition efforts,"
Jordan said. "I am looking forward to working with Tom on our
sustainability imperatives and collaborating with Mike as we set
the agenda for the Company moving forward. I know Gary joins me in
congratulating Lauren, Laurie, Marilyn, Juan, and Ryan on their
well-deserved promotions; we are fortunate to have a deeply
talented bench of Southwest Leaders."
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its
51st year of
service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air
carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than
54,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million
Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of
point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure
and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest
operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101
destinations in the United States and 10 additional
countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo,
Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs,
Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride),
Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest has initiated service
to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both
on Feb. 14; Savannah/Hilton
Head and Colorado Springs both on March
11; Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara,
Calif. both on April
12; Fresno, Calif. on April
25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May 6; Myrtle Beach, S.C. on
May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on
May 27; Jackson, Miss. on
June 6; and Eugene, Ore. on Aug. 29. The carrier will begin service
to Bellingham, Wash. on Nov.
7; and Syracuse on Nov. 14.
The carrier issued its Southwest® Promise in
May 2020 to highlight new and
round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees
well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning
efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal
mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times
throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest
Promise are available
at Southwest.com/Promise.
Southwest coined Transfarency® to describe its
purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and
low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S.
airline to offer bags fly free to everyone (first and second
checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some
carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified
circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare
differences might apply.
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world,
known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the
carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of
its People and the communities they serve, and an overall
commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the
carrier gives back to communities across the world by
visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at
800-I-FLY-SWA®.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.