Alaska Air Group announces leadership promotions in key enterprise oversight roles
Alaska Air Group strengthens safety and audit oversight with leadership promotions and appoints Pete Shimer to board amid continued global expansion. The article Alaska Air Group announces leadership promotions in key enterprise oversight roles first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
The Alaska Air Group board of directors has placed two veteran executives in key oversight roles to enhance safety and internal audit functions at Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air and McGee Air Services. These appointments support Safety as the Company’s top priority and Alaska and Hawaiian’s continued international growth.
The reorganized leadership structure involves :
- Brooke Vatheuer, who has been promoted to senior vice president of safety and audit programs for Alaska Air Group and Alaska Airlines;
- Max Tidwell, who remains vice president of safety and security for Alaska Air Group and Alaska Airlines; and
- Allie Wittenberger, who has been elected vice president of audit programs for Alaska Airlines
“This is a transformational time for Alaska Air Group, and I’m grateful to our team who is leveling up across the organization as we emerge a stronger airline with more global presence. Brooke and Allie are trusted leaders who reflect our Alaska values and continue to lend valuable safety and audit oversight as we grow and introduce ourselves to even more of the world.” says Ben Minicucci, President and CEO, Alaska Air Group.
Brooke Vatheuer – AAG Senior Vice President of Safety and Audit Programs
As the senior vice president of safety and audit programs for Alaska Air Group, Brooke Vatheuer will oversee both the safety and aviation security programs across Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air and McGee Air Services, as well as the internal audit function that examines, evaluates and reports on Alaska Air Group’s business and operational processes. The safety and audit teams will remain directly accountable to committees of the Board of Directors and Vatheuer will lead both teams’ strategies to ensure the strongest focus on safety and accountability.
Max Tidwell will continue his role as vice president of safety and security, where he oversees all safety functions at Air Group companies and drives development of long-term safety and security strategies.
Vatheuer joined Alaska Airlines in 2007 as an internal auditor and quickly took on leadership roles including Horizon Air’s vice president of finance and planning and senior vice president of operations and planning. In 2020, Vatheuer transitioned to vice president of strategic performance for Alaska Airlines, overseeing performance for all operational groups in the daily Seattle operation and most recently served as the vice president of audit programs. She has a master’s degree in professional accounting and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington.
Allie Wittenberger – Alaska Airlines Vice President of Audit Programs
Allie Wittenberger, in her new role as vice president of audit programs, will set the strategic vision and lead enterprise-level audit and assurance programs. Wittenberger will lead a team whose mission is to continuously improve Alaska’s systems of financial, safety, operational, organizational and technological controls.
Wittenberger joined Alaska in 2010 as a senior internal auditor. She has held numerous leadership positions in the audit program, financial planning and analysis and ethics and compliance. Wittenberger most recently served as Alaska Air Group’s managing director of corporate affairs and compliance where she supported Board of Director functions, corporate governance and compliance programs. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Washington State University and is a certified public accountant.
Alaska Air Group appoints former Deloitte executive and proud Seattleite, Pete Shimer, to the Board of Directors
Also, Alaska Air Group, Inc. announced the election of Pete Shimer to the company’s board of directors. Shimer began as an auditor and has since held numerous C-suite positions at international public accounting firm Deloitte, most recently serving as its interim chief executive officer. Shimer retires from Deloitte this month after 41-year career. He will fill the Alaska Air Group board seat vacated by Ken Thompson on his retirement after 25 years of service. Shimer’s election is effective immediately, and he will serve on the board’s Audit and Safety Committees.
Shimer earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Washington where he serves as a board member for the university’s Foundation, he also serves on the board of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Retiring from the board after 25 years of service, Ken Thompson leaves a legacy steeped in Alaska values and going beyond formal board member duties. Thompson was a founding member of the board’s Safety Committee after the tragedy of flight 261 and ,over his years, served on all but one board committee.
“Ken has been a trusted advisor to the management team, offering wisdom and perspective that have helped guide us through many critical moments in our history, and asking probing questions that have improved our thinking,” said Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci. “His deep understanding of the company’s values and his strategic mindset have been instrumental in shaping key decisions that have strengthened our company. We will miss his leadership and wish him well.”
In 2019, Thompson was selected as one of the 100 most influential corporate directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Alaska Air Group directors serve one-year terms upon election at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders. With Shimer’s election, the board has 9 independent director seats. CEO Ben Minicucci serves on the board as a non-independent director.
The article Alaska Air Group announces leadership promotions in key enterprise oversight roles first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
