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Southwest Airlines CEO and leadership

Zippia score 4.5
Job openings (36)
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CEO & Executives

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Southwest Airlines CEO and executives

Executive Summary. Based on our data team's research, Robert E. Jordan is the Southwest Airlines's CEO. Southwest Airlines has 58,803 employees, of which 85 are in a leadership position.
Here are further demographic highlights of the leadership team:
  • The Southwest Airlines executive team is 27% female and 73% male.
  • 66% of the management team is White.
  • 15% of Southwest Airlines management is Hispanic or Latino.
  • 10% of the management team is Black or African American.
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Rate Southwest Airlines' leadership communication with employees.

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Name & TitleBio
Robert E. Jordan

CEO

Robert E. Jordan's LinkedIn

Herbert Kelleher

Founder

Rollin King

Founder

Gary C. Kelly

Chairman, Executive Board

Gary C. Kelly's LinkedIn

Gary Clayton Kelly (born March 12, 1955) is an American business executive. He is the chief executive officer and chairman at Southwest Airlines.

Mark R. Shaw

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer

Mark R. Shaw's LinkedIn

Attorney with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP in Dallas for approximately seven years, including six months in Shannon, Ireland, on temporary assignment to GE Capital Aviation Services. Attorney at Southwest Airlines for eight years and then Associate General Counsel - Corporate & Transactions at Southwest Airlines for 4.5 years before serving as Senior Vice President General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Michael G. van de Ven

President & Chief Operating Officer

Michael G. van de Ven's LinkedIn

Michael Van de Ven is an EVP-Chief Operating Officer at SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

Ronald Ricks

Vice Chairman of The Board

Ronald Ricks's LinkedIn

J. Veronica Biggins

Board Member

Linda B. Rutherford

Senior VP & Chief Communications Officer

Linda B. Rutherford's LinkedIn

My dream in life was to work as a beat reporter for a major newspaper. While working for the Dallas Times Herald I had the privilege of meeting the wonderful people at Southwest Airlines. There was something about the People and the Company I couldn't shake. Turns out I didn’t have to! I joined the Southwest Family as a Public Relations Coordinator in 1992. I now proudly lead Culture & Engagement and Communications & Outreach efforts across Southwest Airlines. I am privileged to work with the best People in the industry.

William H. Cunningham

Board Member

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Southwest Airlines jobs

Southwest Airlines founders

Name & TitleBio
Herbert Kelleher

Founder

Rollin King

Founder

Southwest Airlines board members

Name & TitleBio
Robert E. Jordan

CEO

Robert E. Jordan's LinkedIn

Gary C. Kelly

Chairman, Executive Board

Gary C. Kelly's LinkedIn

Gary Clayton Kelly (born March 12, 1955) is an American business executive. He is the chief executive officer and chairman at Southwest Airlines.

Ronald Ricks

Vice Chairman of The Board

Ronald Ricks's LinkedIn

J. Veronica Biggins

Board Member

William H. Cunningham

Board Member

Douglas H. Brooks

Board Member

John G. Denison

Board Member

Nancy B. Loeffler

Board Member

Thomas W. Gilligan

Board Member

David Peter Hess

Board Member

Southwest Airlines leadership demographics

Southwest Airlines gender distribution in management team

  • The Southwest Airlines executive team is 27% female and 73% male.
  • Southwest Airlines is 46% female and 54% male company-wide.
Male
Male
73%
Company-wide: 54%
Female
Female
27%
Company-wide: 46%

Southwest Airlines executives by race

Management Team:
  • The most common ethnicity among Southwest Airlines executive officers is White.
  • 66% of the management team is White.
  • 15% of Southwest Airlines's management is Hispanic or Latino.
  • 10% of the management team is Black or African American.
Company-wide:
  • White is the most common ethnicity company-wide.
  • 56% of employees are White.
  • 20% of employees are Hispanic or Latino.
  • 12% of employees are Black or African American.
  • Management team
  • General
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Unknown
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino

Southwest Airlines jobs nearby

What employees say about the executives at Southwest Airlines

Employee reviews
profile
1.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2025
Cons of working at Southwest Airlines

Anyone can be placed in a management position, but it doesn't make them a leader

Southwest Airlines benefits

flight benefits

Pros of working at Southwest Airlines

great co workers in the same work level

What do you like best about Southwest Airlines's CEO and the leadership team?

There is no leadership!

How would you improve Southwest Airlines's culture?

Putting people into roles that fit for them. Poor leadership brings lack to no communication

How did you prepare for the Southwest Airlines interview?

being myself

How does your compensation at Southwest Airlines compare to the industry average?

The Pay is good

What's the diversity at Southwest Airlines like?

Diversity was good as can be

What brings you the most joy at Southwest Airlines?

Feeling accomplished with my duties

Is this useful?
profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2023
Pros of working at Southwest Airlines

The best place in the world to work

Cons of working at Southwest Airlines

There are no cons

Southwest Airlines benefits

Flying free, all the kindness and help you receive from managers all the way down to employees.

Is this useful?
profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2021
Pros of working at Southwest Airlines

Company incentives and culture diversity

Cons of working at Southwest Airlines

Union environment can be challenging

Southwest Airlines benefits

Profit sharing

Is this useful?
profile
3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros of working at Southwest Airlines

I loved the creative expression that was allowed and the work I was doing.

Cons of working at Southwest Airlines

The management was too into themselves

Southwest Airlines benefits

Free Airline passes

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Southwest Airlines executives FAQs

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Updated November 18, 2022

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Southwest Airlines, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Southwest Airlines. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Southwest Airlines. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Southwest Airlines. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Southwest Airlines and its employees or that of Zippia.

Southwest Airlines may also be known as or be related to Southwest, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Co and Southwest Airlines Co.