Southwest Airlines has today announced the appointment of Rakesh Gangwal to their Board of Directors. Mr. Gangwal is the Co-Founder of IndiGo, India’s largest airline by fleet size and passengers carried.
On Monday (July 8, 2024), Southwest Airlines Co. announced the appointment of Rakesh Gangwal as the newest member of their Board of Directors effective July 7, 2024. Mr. Gangwal has extensive airline industry experience, and in 2006 was the Co-Founder of India’s InterGlobe Aviation, more commonly known as IndiGo. Gangwal also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Worldspan Technologies, an information services provider for the travel industry. Before joining Worldspan, Rakesh Gangwal served as Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Airways Group, later promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining U.S. Airways, he also held executive roles at Air France and United Airlines.
In Monday’s announcement, Southwest Airlines’ Chairman of the Executive Board, Gary Kelly, said,
“I am delighted to welcome Rakesh, who brings to our Board decades of valuable experience as an executive and entrepreneur at some of the world's leading airlines. Having co-founded IndiGo and grown it into India’s largest airline, Rakesh knows the importance of building a business that has both a distinct culture and enduring profitability.
“Rakesh’s expertise in travel technology will be valuable as we continue to make investments that support our operations and strategic initiatives. We look forward to working with Rakesh and benefitting from his insights to best serve our Customers, do right by our Employees, and drive long-term Shareholder value.”
Also commenting on his Board appointment, Rakesh Gangwal, said,
“I have long admired Southwest Airlines and am honored to join the Board. Together with the rest of the Board, I look forward to supporting the Company's strategic direction and building on its well-earned reputation as one of the world's most admired and respected airlines.”
Mr. Gangwal has also served on the Boards of several other publicly traded companies, including U.S. Airways Group, CarMax, Office Depot, OfficeMax and PetSmart. He holds a B.S. in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, as well as an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1971, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has distinguished itself by offering exemplary customer service delivered by nearly 75,000 team members at 121 airports across 11 countries. The airline carried over 137 million guests during 2023. Southwest offers a robust point-to-point network with a strong presence across leisure and business markets. During peak travel seasons, the airline operates more than 4,000 daily departures to 120 destinations across the U.S. and 10 additional countries. Southwest also continues to develop tangible steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering Customers the opportunity to help the airline offset carbon emissions.
Source: Southwest Airlines