Chicago, Ill., USA - April 22, 2016, Chicago, Ill., USA - United Continental Holdings, Inc. announced additional changes to its board.
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United announces that it reached a settlement agreement with Altimeter Capital Management, LP and PAR Capital Management, Inc. under which two of their designees, Edward L. Shapiro, Managing Partner and portfolio manager at PAR, and Barney Harford, former Chief Executive Officer of Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. join the Board.
Edward L. Shapiro is currently Managing Partner and portfolio manager at PAR Capital Management, Inc., a Boston-based investment management firm specializing in investments in travel, media and Internet-related companies.
Prior to joining PAR Capital in 1997, Mr. Shapiro was a Vice President at Wellington Management Company, and before that an Analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. He also serves as Chairman of the Boards of Global Eagle Entertainment and Lumexis Corporation, and a director of Sonifi Solutions.
He previously served on the board of US Airways and Web.com, formerly Interland, Inc.
Mr. Shapiro earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Barney Harford served as Chief Executive Officer of Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. from 2009 to 2015, leading a successful turnaround that culminated in a sale to Expedia, Inc. in 2015.
Previously, Mr. Harford served in multiple roles at Expedia from 1999 to 2006, including as President of Expedia Asia Pacific from 2004 to 2006, leading the company’s entry into China, Japan and Australia.
He serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Lola, a chat-based travel planning service that offers customers personalized recommendations for hotels, flights and more.
He also serves on the Board of LiquidPlanner, a dynamic project management solution for technology teams. Mr. Harford previously served on the Boards of eLong, GlobalEnglish, Crystal Orange Hotel Group (formerly Mandarin Hotel Holdings) and Orbitz Worldwide.
Mr. Harford holds an MBA degree from INSEAD and a Master of Arts degree in Natural Sciences from Clare College, Cambridge University.
On March 6, 2016, three new independent directors joined the Board:
- James A.C. Kennedy, former President and Chief Executive Officer of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
- Robert A. Milton, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. and previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada
- James M. Whitehurst, President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Hat, Inc., and previously Chief Operating Officer of Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Mr. Milton and Mr. Whitehurst have a combined total of 30 years of airline experience.
Robert A. Milton served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. from 2004 to 2012, and was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada from 1999 to 2004.
He joined Air Canada in 1992 in a consulting capacity and progressed from the role of Senior Director of Scheduling to Vice President, Scheduling and Product Management, Senior Vice President, Marketing and In-Flight Service and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer before being named President and CEO in 1999.
He is currently the lead director of Air Lease Corporation and a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation Inc. He is a past director of US Airways, Inc., and is also a past Chairman of the Board of Governors of IATA (The International Air Transport Association).
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Henry L. Meyer III, the current Non-Executive Chairman, and two other current directors, John H. Walker and Charles A. Yamarone, will be retiring and will not stand for re-election at the 2016 Annual Meeting.
In light of Mr. Meyer’s impending retirement, United’s Board has elected Mr. Milton Non-Executive Chairman following the election of directors at the 2016 Annual Meeting. ■