Richard H. Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
Delta Air Lines
Richard H. Anderson is Delta’s chief executive officer and a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
Under Richard’s leadership, Delta has built an airline with an unsurpassed global network, strong financial position and culture known for high employee engagement. Through the vision of his leadership team, Delta continues to extend its network through strategic partnerships including the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia, and a preferred codeshare agreement with the Alaska Airlines Group along the U.S. West Coast. Delta in 2010 successfully completed its merger integration with Northwest Airlines, for which Richard 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. In 2011 Delta was named the most admired airline worldwide on criteria that included people management, quality of management, innovation, long-term investment, social responsibility, quality of product and services and global competitiveness. In October 2011, he was given the The Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Richard’s more than 23 years of aviation experience began in 1987 at Continental Airlines, where he served as Staff Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. In 1990, he began a 14-year career at Northwest Airlines 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 from UnitedHealth Group, where he was Executive Vice President and served as President of UnitedHealth’s Commercial Markets Group.
Richard is chairman of the Airlines for America Board of Directors and serves as a director on the Boards of Cargill, Inc. and Medtronic, Inc.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Richard holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law.
