Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson drew heavily Tuesday from the ranks of Northwest management when he named the officers who will lead the new Delta.
Anderson, who will head the combined carrier, tapped four Delta executives and four from Northwest to join him on the airline's top management team, the company announced.
Anderson chose many of Northwest's top women executives. But of Northwest's top four executives, only one -- Chief Financial Officer Dave Davis -- was named a Delta officer.
The balanced treatment goes beyond that. The top 60 executives were drawn almost equally from the management of the two carriers, according to a document obtained Tuesday by the Star Tribune.
Federal regulators are expected to approve the merger later this year. At that time, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland will leave the carrier and turn over leadership of Northwest to Delta President Ed Bastian and join Delta's board. Northwest will operate as an Eagan-based subsidiary of Delta for 12 to 24 months, with its own revenue and cost structures, while the two carriers move toward a complete merger.
However, the day the merger deal closes, Delta management intends to combine several functions quickly, including legal, finance and human resources.
Anderson, who served as Northwest CEO from 2001 to 2004, chose to name his officers for the new Delta now, so the carrier can move as rapidly as possible to put the merger into effect.
With high oil prices, Anderson said, "It is clear we were smart to proceed when we did, because this merger will provide the necessary revenue and cost synergies to better position the combined carrier for success."
