Southwest Airlines Announces Leadership Changes

Southwest Airlines announced several leadership changes.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Randy Sloan is leaving the Company in mid-July. Kathleen Wayton, who is currently the airline’s Vice President of Corporate Delivery—Operations & Reservations, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer upon Sloan’s departure.

“Randy has built a strong leadership team within the Technology department over the last five years, which will ensure a smooth transition for Kathleen in her new role,” said Southwest’s President Tom Nealon. “Randy’s contributions have been many and immeasurable, most recently overseeing the successful deployment of the largest technology initiative in our Company’s history as we transitioned into a new reservation system. We wish him well.”

“We are blessed to have such a talented leader as Kathleen to step into Randy’s role. Kathleen has played a critical role in the delivery of Southwest’s strategic initiatives over the last several years. Specifically, she led the historic and successful launch of Southwest’s international air service in 2014, as well as the technology system integration from AirTran to Southwest,” Nealon said.

Additionally, Southwest has hired Stan Alexander into a new role of Vice President & Chief Technology Architect, effective July 10. Alexander will lead the Technology Teams responsible for Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Data & Analytics, Enterprise Data Delivery, and Enterprise Integration Strategy—working across the organization to drive execution across multiple major initiatives.

Most recently, Stan served as the principal consultant of Digital Pilot LLC, an affiliate of the Feld Group Institute, where he provided technology strategy, architecture and leadership consulting services to FedEx, and very recently to Southwest. Prior to that, Stan held several technology leadership roles with BNSF Railway, where he was responsible for enterprise architecture, data, security and infrastructure services before leading all business systems development and support for rail operations across service scheduling, transportation management, crew and equipment operations. With over 30 years of experience as a technical leader, Stan has worked in both operational and consultative roles with BNSF Railway, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), The Feld Group, CSX Technology and Bellcore (now known as Telcordia) to provide technology and systems integration services to Fortune 500 companies, including: Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, First Data and Bellsouth (now part of AT&T).

“I am thrilled to welcome Stan into the Southwest Leadership Team. Stan is a talented leader with a gifted mind and an impressive track record for building and integrating systems across complex networks. We’re lucky to have him,” Nealon said.

Southwest is also promoting Anthony Gregory as the new Vice President of Ground Operations, effective July 1, 2017. Gregory will be responsible for a team of more than 18,000 Employees in providing a safe, reliable, and efficient experience to Southwest Customers. His key responsibilities include overseeing airport operations for Southwest’s entire domestic and international network. Gregory joined Southwest Airlines in 2007, and has served in leadership positions in Ground Operations, Financial Planning & Analysis, and Network Planning. Prior to joining Southwest, Gregory was a pilot and flight instructor. Anthony earned a Bachelor of Science in Aviation degree from Purdue University; MBA and M.A. Economics degrees from West Virginia University.

“Anthony’s tremendous leadership experience, diligent work ethic, and servant’s heart will ensure his success as Vice President Ground Operations,” says Steve Goldberg, Senior Vice President Ground Operations & Provisioning. “His profound care for our Employees, coupled with his passion for ensuring an outstanding Customer Experience, aligns perfectly with the vision and values of our Ground Operations Team.”