Richard H. Anderson

Mr. Richard H. Anderson was born in Galveston, TX in 1956. He began his career in law, then worked for Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and UnitedHealth Group before joining Delta. On September 1, 2007, Richard became Delta's Chief Executive Officer and a member of the company's Board of Directors.

Delta Air Lines was founded in 1928. Today, Delta is considered the world's largest airline in terms of capacity, with destinations in more than 350 cities around the globe. Delta has grown considerably over the years, through numerous mergers and acquisitions, including its most recent merger with Northwest Airlines.

Under Richard Anderson's leadership, Delta has built an airline with an unsurpassed global network, strong financial position and culture known for high employee engagement. Through his vision and leadership, Delta continues to expand and extend its network of strategic partnerships including trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia, as well as a preferred codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines Group along the U.S. West Coast. In 2010, Delta Airlines successfully completed its merger integration with Northwest Airlines, for which Richard Anderson was recognized with the "2010 Airline Strategy Award for Executive Leadership" presented by industry trade magazine "Airline Business" and global executive search firm Spencer Stuart.

Richard's Aviation/Business Background:
Richards aviation experience expand over a 23-year period. It began in 1987 at Continental Airlines, where he served as Staff Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. His 14-year career with Northwest Airlines began in 1990, where he served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel; Senior Vice President of Technical Operations and Airport Affairs; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; and as Chief Executive Officer from 2001 to 2004. In September 2007, Richard joined Delta Airlines after spending nearly three years as Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group and served as President of UnitedHealth's Commercial Markets Group. In addition, Richard is chairman of the Air Transport Association Board of Directors and serves as a director on the Boards of Cargill, Inc., Medtronic, Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Richard's Education Background:
- Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Houston, TX
- Juris Doctorate Degree from South Texas College of Law.

Forbes Rankings:
Richard Anderson is ranked 315th on the Forbes Executive Pay in 2011, and was previously ranked 394th in 2010; Delta Air Lines' 627th on the Forbes Global 2000 in 2010; Medtronic's 228th on the Forbes Global 2000 in 2010; ranked 490th on the Forbes Executive Pay in 2009; in addition to numerous past rankings.

Andersons' Compensation for 2009:
Salary: $600,000.00
Restricted stock awards: $6,602,115.00
All other compensation: $1,173,217.00
Total Compensation: $8,375,332.00


In my point of view, Mr. Richard H. Anderson is one of the top influential people in our global aviation industry today. This successful business man is a role model in terms of vision and leadership. He has contributed significantly to the growth and success of the world's largest airline; while simultaneously contributing to the success and growth of the U.S. aviation industry. His executive leadership and airline/business strategy is a major contributing factor in the recent successful merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta. As an Aviation Management Technology student, I look forward to learning more about this individual' secrets to success and how he manged to successfully run the world's largest airlines in a recession economy.