Southwest Airlines’ No. 2 executive is stepping down at the end of the year and giving up his role as president and chief operating officer.
Mike Van de Ven, who became president a year ago and helped guide the company through a leadership transition, will take on an advisory role in 2023.
A 29-year Southwest veteran, Van de Ven has been at the center of many of the company’s pandemic recovery efforts since last September and even before that as chief operating officer. The company has struggled with uneven operating performance for a year and a half, landing only 73.1% of flights on time in 2022 through July.
“I’ve had the privilege to work in a variety of roles during my tenure at Southwest, but for nearly the last 17 years, I have been focused on supporting our operation,” the 61-year-old Van de Ven said in a memo to employees. “I imagine my feelings about this work have been similar to what many of you feel on any given day: exhilarating, rewarding, incredibly fun … and sometimes exhausting.”
Southwest is also in heated labor battles with unions for pilots, customer service workers, flight attendants, dispatchers and others as a staffing crunch has given more power to workers.
“Mike has led with heart while playing a critical role in transforming our operational capabilities to enable our growth and prosperity,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement. “He, alongside his teams, has laid the foundation to modernize many areas of our complex business and his guidance has kept us moving forward — momentum we can build upon for generations.”
Andrew Watterson, who has moved from the company’s network and scheduling leader to chief commercial officer, will take over as chief operating officer this month.
Van de Ven’s departure only increases the leadership turnover that started last summer when CEO Gary Kelly announced he was retiring and was replaced by Jordan, who was executive vice president of corporate services at the time. President Tom Nealon announced his retirement shortly after, making way for Van de Ven, who had years of experience running operations.
But in all instances, Southwest has managed to hold onto departing executives for advisory roles. Kelly even moved into the chairman role and helps direct issues in Washington and sustainability initiatives.
At airlines, presidents are usually charged with the day-to-day operations of the company while CEOs direct strategy and deal with investors. Now Jordan, who spent time as chief commercial officer, will take on both roles, at least until a successor for Van de Ven is named.
With Watterson’s promotion, chief marketing officer Ryan Green will take over as chief commercial officer. Linda Rutherford, who runs communications and human resources, also will take an expanded role.
