Elliott launches new ‘Stronger Southwest’ podcast interviewing its board nominees.
A Southwest 737-800 takes off from Los Angeles. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Elliott Investment Management L.P. launched a new podcast featuring one-on-one conversations with Elliott’s director nominees for Southwest’s Board of Directors on Tuesday, one day after the investment firm called for a Dec. 10 special meeting seeking the election of eight total board nominees.
“Today’s launch of an innovative new podcast series will offer shareholders an opportunity to learn more about these uniquely qualified nominees,” Elliott said in a news release on Tuesday.
Described as an activist investor group, Elliott has previously called for Southwest CEO Bob Jordan to step down, though the carrier’s board has stood behind him after announcing several other leadership changes in September. Elliott currently owns approximately 11% of economic interest in Southwest.
Elliott’s podcast announcement comes the week of Southwest’s 2024 “Rise Above” leadership conference in Dallas. Some Southwest employees have pushed back publicly against Elliott’s messaging on social media with the motto: “It’s Our Southwest.”
One post quoted Jordan in an internal memo as saying: “This is not a fight ‘against Elliott.’ This is a fight for the future of Southwest Airlines.”
“It can all be gone in the blink of an eye if we aren’t vigilant, and if we don’t fight to preserve it,” he added.
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