DALLAS, May 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV)
announced today that Executive Vice President & Chief Legal
& Regulatory Officer & Corporate Secretary Mark Shaw has decided to move to an
Executive Advisor role, effective June
1.
Shaw joined Southwest Airlines® nearly 24 years ago.
Throughout his career, he's guided the Company and its Board of
Directors through complex legal challenges from acquiring
AirTran Airways and parent AirTran Holdings to the numerous
policy and regulatory issues during the COVID-19 pandemic,
including leading the legal aspects of multiple financings and the
Company's participation in the Payroll Support Program under the
CARES Act.
With Shaw's transition, Senior Vice President & Chief
Corporate Affairs Officer Jason Van
Eaton is promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief
Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, effective June 1. In this role, Van
Eaton's duties will include legislative and regulatory
policy oversight, airline airport relationships management,
facility construction and maintenance, corporate security, and real
estate planning. He'll oversee the Company's Airport Affairs,
Facilities, Governmental Affairs, Legal, and Real Estate
Departments.
Van Eaton joined
Southwest® in May 2015 and
was named Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Affairs
Officer in 2018. Before landing at Southwest, he held positions in
the U.S. Senate for 13 years before founding a consulting services
company he managed for eight years. Van
Eaton received his bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University.
Additionally, Vice President Legal—Corporate &
Transactions Jeff
Novota is promoted to Vice President General Counsel
& Corporate Secretary, effective June
1. In this role, Novota will lead Southwest's Legal
Department, overseeing all legal functions across various practice
areas, including corporate governance, securities, compliance,
commercial transactions, general corporate, labor and employment,
and litigation matters. He'll also provide legal advice and
strategic guidance to the Company's Senior Management Committee and
Board of Directors.
Before joining Southwest in 2011, Novota was a practicing
attorney at a Chicago law firm,
concentrating on transportation finance and regulatory matters. He
received his J.D. from Indiana
University and his Bachelor of Science from Purdue University. He also holds an FAA commercial
multi-engine pilot certificate.
"We appreciate Mark's many years of dedicated service at
Southwest, and we're delighted he'll continue to serve as an
Executive Advisor. Mark's trusted counsel and Leadership helped us
navigate many triumphs and challenges throughout his career," said
Southwest Airlines President & Chief Executive Officer
Bob Jordan. "As Jason and Jeff step
into their new roles, the proven expertise and extensive experience
they each possess, along with Mark's continued guidance, will
result in a seamless and successful transition."
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most
admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and
Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took
flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable,
and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying
nonstop within the United States
than any other airline1. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first
corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of
no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering
its more than 74,0002 People to deliver
unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a
passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in
2023. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity
and 47 consecutive years3 of profitability for
Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique
legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including
harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities
at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting
Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart,
Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon
emissions by 20504. Southwest has also set near-term
targets and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental
goals. Learn more by visiting
Southwest.com/planet.
1Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation
quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey since Q1
2021
2Fulltime-equivalent active
Employees
31973-2019 annual
profitability
4 Our net zero by 2050 goal includes Scope 1,
Scope 2, and Scope 3 Category 3 emissions only and excludes any
emissions associated with non-fuel products and services, such as
inflight service items.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.