United Airlines Appoints Brett J. Hart as President

United Airlines has appointed Brett J. Hart as President, effective 20 May 2020.

Brett is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer.

Oscar Munoz, United's CEO, will transition to Executive Chair, while Scott Kirby, the current President, will become CEO following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

"Brett is a well-established and widely respected leader who has established a strong track record, over the last decade, helping United navigate complex challenges across all areas of our business," Oscar said. "He is recognized inside and outside of the airline industry for his leadership and has played a central role in shaping our strategy, culture and leading our community engagement around the world."

Since joining United in 2010, Brett has taken on a variety of significant strategic responsibilities for the company at critical moments – most notably in October 2015 when he served as Interim CEO for six months while Oscar recovered from a heart transplant.

"Working closely with Brett over the last 3 years, I have seen first-hand his thoughtful and intellectually rigorous approach to navigating the complex environment in which we operate and effectively implementing our business strategy," Scott said. "The leadership Brett has shown as we have managed the current crisis reinforces the conclusion I reached last year: Brett is exactly the leader that United needs right now to take on the role of President."

As President of United, Brett will continue to lead the company's public advocacy strategy including the Government Affairs, Corporate Communications, Legal and Community Engagement teams. He will also continue to oversee business-critical functions like the Corporate Real Estate team and manage United's industry leading environmental sustainability efforts. His responsibilities will expand to include managing the Human Resources and Labor Relations teams.

The company will not replace the role of Chief Administrative Officer.

"I am honored and energized as I take on these new responsibilities to lead this incredible team that I am convinced will build United into a thriving industry leader," Brett said. "The path forward will not be easy, but I am confident that Scott and I will continue our partnership to lead United through the extraordinary challenge posed by COVID19. United's bright future is only possible because of the commitment of the most talented airline professionals in the world who serve United and our customers every single day – and I could not be prouder of them.

Before joining United, Brett was executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Sara Lee Corporation, where he directed global legal operations for the corporation.

Prior to Sara Lee, Brett was a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago. Before that, he served as special assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C.

Brett serves on the Board of Directors for Abbvie. He is also active in several philanthropic organizations, including serving on the boards of the Obama Foundation Inclusion Council, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, University of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine and is Chair of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Board.

Brett received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and English from the University of Michigan and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

Brett and his wife Dontrey reside on Chicago's South Side with their three sons, Jonah, Aiden and Matthew.

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