New board of directors for the new American Airlines
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The Board of Directors will be comprised of twelve members: Thomas Horton, W. Douglas Parker, John T. Cahill, Lead Independent Director; James F. Albaugh, Jeffrey D. Benjamin, Michael J. Embler, Matthew J. Hart, Alberto Ibarguen, Richard C. Kraemer, Denise M. O'Leary, Ray M. Robinson and Richard P. Schifter
Thomas Horton, chairman, president and chief executive officer of AMR will serve as Chairman of the combined airline's Board of Directors through its first annual meeting of shareholders.
Mr. Horton has served as a director of AMR Corporation and American since 2011. Mr. Horton was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AMR and American in November 2011, and also continues to serve as President of AMR and American. Previously, Mr. Horton served as Executive Vice President—Finance and Planning and Chief Financial Officer of AMR and American starting in March 2006 upon returning to American from AT&T.
He was named President in July 2010. At AT&T, he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Horton initially joined American in 1985 and held a range of senior financial positions with American. From 1998 to 2000, he was Vice President responsible for the airline's international business, based in London. In January 2000, Mr. Horton became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AMR. Mr. Horton serves on the board of directors of Qualcomm Incorporated.
W. Douglas Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways Group, will serve as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Parker will assume the position of Chairman of the Board following the conclusion of Mr. Horton's service.
Mr. Parker has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of US Airways Group and US Airways since 2005. Mr. Parker also served as President of US Airways Group and US Airways from 2005 to 2006. Mr. Parker served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of America West Holdings Corporation (America West) and America West Airlines, Inc. (AWA) from 2001 to 2007 and served as a director of America West and AWA from 1999 to 2007.
Mr. Parker joined AWA as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1995. He was elected President of AWA in 2000 and Chief Operating Officer of AWA in 2000. Mr. Parker served on the board of directors of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation from 2007 until February 2012.
John T. Cahill has served as the Executive Chairman of Kraft Foods Group, Inc., a food and beverage company, since October 2012. He joined Kraft Foods, Inc., the former parent of Kraft Foods Group, in January 2012 as Executive Chairman, North American Grocery, and served in that capacity until October 2012.
Prior thereto, he served as an industrial partner at Ripplewood Holdings LLC, a private equity firm, from 2008 to 2011. Mr. Cahill spent nine years with The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., a beverage manufacturing company, most recently as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2003 to 2006 and Executive Chairman until 2007. Mr. Cahill previously spent nine years with PepsiCo, Inc., a food and beverage company, in a variety of leadership positions.
Mr. Cahill currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Colgate-Palmolive Company, a consumer products company, and as a director of Legg Mason, Inc., an investment management firm. Mr. Cahill has also served on the board of directors of Frontier Holdings, Inc., the parent of Frontier Airlines.
James F. Albaugh has been a senior advisor to The Blackstone Group L.P. since December 2012. Prior thereto, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company's Commercial Airplanes business unit from September 2009 through June 2012. Prior to that position, Mr. Albaugh was President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems business unit from July 2002 to September 2009.
Prior to that time, Mr. Albaugh, who joined Boeing in 1975, held various executive positions, including President and Chief Executive of Space and Communications and President of Space Transportation. Mr. Albaugh was a member of Boeing's Executive Council from 1998 through 2012. Mr. Albaugh is a member of the board of directors of TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.
He is also President Elect of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society; an elected member of the International Academy of Aeronautics and the National Academy of Engineering; a member of the Board of Governors of the Wings Club; a member of the board of trustees of Willamette University and a member of the board of visitors of Columbia Engineering School.
Jeffrey D. Benjamin has been a senior advisor to Cyrus Capital Partners, L.P., a registered investment adviser, since June 2008 and serves as a consultant to Apollo Global Management, LLC, a private investment fund. He was a senior advisor to Apollo Global Management, LLC from 2002 to 2008.
Mr. Benjamin serves on the boards of directors of Caesars Entertainment Corp., Exco Resources, Inc., and Chemtura Corporation. He is also Chairman of the board of directors of Spectrum Group International, Inc. He previously served on the boards of directors of Virgin Media Inc., Goodman Global Holdings, Inc., Dade Behring Holdings, Inc., Chiquita Brands International, Inc., McLeodUSA LLC and Mandalay Resort Group, among others.
Michael J. Embler served as the Chief Investment Officer of Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, an asset management subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc., from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Embler joined Franklin Mutual Advisers in 2001 and, prior to becoming Chief Investment Officer in 2005, served as head of its Distressed Investment Group.
From 1992 until 2001, he worked at Nomura Holdings America in positions of increasing responsibility culminating in the position of Managing Director co-heading Nomura's Proprietary Distressed Debt/Special Situations Group. Mr. Embler currently serves on the boards of directors of CIT Group Inc. and NMI Holdings, Inc.
Mr. Embler has also served on the boards of directors of Abovenet Inc., Kindred Healthcare Inc. and Dynegy Inc.
Matthew J. Hart was President and Chief Operating Officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation, a hotel developer and operator, from 2004 until the acquisition of Hilton by the Blackstone Group in 2007. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hilton from 1996 to 2004.
Before joining Hilton in 1996, Mr. Hart was Senior Vice President and Treasurer of The Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1996, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Host Marriott Corp. from 1993 to 1995.
He serves on the boards of directors of Great American Group, Inc. Mr. Hart served on the boards of directors of America West and AWA from 2004 to 2005, and was elected to the boards of US Airways Group and US Airways in 2006.
Alberto Ibarguen has served as a director of AMR Corporation and American since 2008. Mr. Ibarguen has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation since July 2005. In this role, he has led the foundation's support of journalism and civic advancement in 26 U.S. communities.
Previously, Mr. Ibarguen served as Chairman of Miami Herald Publishing Co. from 1998 to 2005, a Knight Ridder subsidiary, and as publisher of The Miami Herald and of El Nuevo Herald. He is a director of PepsiCo, Inc., AOL Inc., and the World Wide Web Foundation (based in Switzerland). He previously served as a director of NCL Corporation Ltd. and on the advisory committee of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. He is also a former Chairman of the Board of the Public Broadcasting Service and the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Richard C. Kraemer is President of Chartwell Capital, Inc., a private investment company. Mr. Kraemer served as a director of America West and AWA from 1992 to 2007. He became a member of the boards of US Airways Group and US Airways in 2005.
Mr. Kraemer was employed from 1975 until 1996 by U.D.C. Homes, a national homebuilder, in various management positions including President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kraemer also serves as a member of the board of directors of Knight Transportation, Inc.
Denise M. O'Leary has been a private investor in early stage companies since 1996. From 1983 until 1996, she was employed at Menlo Ventures, a venture capital firm, first as an associate and then as a general partner. She serves as a director of Medtronic, Inc. and Calpine Corporation.
Additionally, she serves on the boards of directors of the Corporation for Supportive Housing and the Denver Foundation and is a member of the boards of trustees of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and the University of Denver. Ms. O'Leary served as a director of America West and AWA from 1998 to 2007 and became a member of the boards of US Airways Group and US Airways in 2005.
Ray M. Robinson has served as a director of AMR Corporation and American since 2005. Mr. Robinson started his career at AT&T in 1968, and prior to his retirement in 2003, he held several executive positions, including President of the Southern Region, its largest region, President and Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Tridom, Vice President of Operations for AT&T Business Customer Care, Senior Vice President of AT&T Outbound Services, and Vice President of AT&T Public Relations.
Since 2003, Mr. Robinson has served as Chairman of Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta, Georgia, the largest African American-owned bank in the Southeastern U.S. and the nation's second largest. Mr. Robinson is also a director of Aaron's, Inc., Acuity Brands, Inc., and Avnet, Inc., and he previously served as a director of ChoicePoint Inc.
Richard P. Schifter has been a partner at TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group) since 1994. Prior to joining TPG, Mr. Schifter was a partner at the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in bankruptcy law and corporate restructuring and represented Air Partners in connection with the acquisition of Continental Airlines in 1993.
Mr. Schifter joined Arnold & Porter in 1979 and was a partner from 1986 through 1994. Mr. Schifter is a member of the boards of directors of Republic Airways Holdings Inc., EverBank Financial Corp., American Beacon Advisors, Inc., Direct General Corporation and ProSight Specialty Insurance Holdings, Inc. Mr. Schifter has advised the new American Airlines that he will resign from the board of directors of Republic Airways Holdings Inc. prior to becoming a director of the new American Airlines. ■