With United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) CEO Oscar Munoz sidelined with a heart attack, and the company’s board facing the prospect he may be out of work for some time, it will need to quickly decide who will replace him, at least temporarily.
There are several inside candidates and one or two from the board of directors.
The most likely:
- Gregory (Greg) Hart, the executive vice president and chief operations officer of United. According to the company, “In this role, Greg is responsible for all airport operations, technical operations, inflight operations, flight operations and network operations, as well as cargo, safety and United Express.”
- James (Jim) Compton, vice chairman and chief revenue officer. According to the company, he is responsible for overseeing the company’s sales, alliances, network pricing and revenue management, and network planning.
- Gerald (Gerry) Laderman, senior vice president finance and acting chief financial officer. According to the carrier, he is responsible for United’s overall financial strategy, including cost management, capital allocation and balance sheet optimization.
While all three have extensive industry experience, Laderman is the least likely to get the job, because from the outside it does not appear that United Continental’s problems are financial ones.
The board has at least two logical candidates, one of whom is CEO of a large public company:
- William R. Nuti, the chairman, chief executive officer and president of NCR
- Carolyn Corvi, retired vice president and general manager of Airplane Programs at Boeing
Nuti may be reluctant to leave a job at another major company. And Corvi may have been too junior in her position at Boeing.
If there are no candidates from inside, United Continental will need to go outside, most likely to another large airline, if possible. But what executive would leave a secure job at another carrier — unless Munoz is too ill to return and a replacement would be permanent. It is too early to tell. Apparently even the board may not know the extent of Munoz’s physical problems.
ALSO READ: 5 Big Oil and Gas Stocks Analysts Want You to Buy Now
Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
