Southwest Airlines’ Executive Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer, Ryan Green, is stepping down, according to a regulatory filing. His last day will be April 1.
His departure coincides with the company’s first major layoffs in its history and an ongoing deal with an activist investor. Southwest said it is unrelated to the 11 senior officials laid off earlier this week.
Green worked for Southwest for 23 years. His most recent promotion in 2024 came as the company initiated sweeping policy changes.
He was also a prominent figure at Southwest as the airline worked t recover from a historic meltdown in December 2022, during which a winter storm led to the cancelation of thousands of flights — impacting hundreds of thousands of customers.
According to his biography page, Green, “ensure[d] the seamless development and deployment of top-priority initiatives across the organization…includ[ing] his leadership over the Company’s transition to assigned and premium seating and the introduction of airline partnerships.”
Those changes come as the Dallas-based airline undergoes a massive restructuring of leadership. In October, Southwest announced it would restructure its board leadership as part of a settlement with activist investor Elliott Management.
Green’s replacement has not yet been named. KERA News reached out to Southwest Airlines and will update this story with any comment.
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