Just a day after Southwest firmed up its first-ever mass layoffs, the airline’s executive vice president and chief transformation officer, Ryan Green, will leave the company on April 1.
Green had been at Southwest for over 20 years, and most recently oversaw the Dallas-based airline’s transition to assigned and premium seating. His exit comes as activist investor Elliott plans to take a bigger stake in the airline.
Both moves were disclosed on Wednesday. Southwest and Elliott recently inked an agreement to allow the firm to take a 19.9% stake in the airline, up from the original agreement of 14.9%.
A Pivot
Through his over two decades at Southwest, Green held various high-level positions. Before taking on the transformation role, he was the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer.
His exit joins Chief Financial Officer, Tammy Romo, and Chief Administrative Officer, Linda Rutherford, who will also leave the airline in April.
On Monday, the airline informed employees that it would be laying off 1,750 corporate workers. Employees learned whether their roles would be impacted on Tuesday.
Throughout its 53-year history, the airline has never laid off any employees. Its first-ever round of layoffs includes several high-ranking executives, including vice presidents and above.
