MANAGEMENT

Management

Management

Personal and Professional Background of Gary Kelly

Gary Kelly was a former player of Football; He was born on 9th July 1974 in Drogheda. Gary Kelly spent his entire career in a Football club Leeds United, from 1991 till 2007; he made 430 league games with the first team. Gary Kelly participated in two world cups in 1994 and again in 2002.

Now, Gary Kelly is the C.E.O (Chief Executive officer and chairman of Southwest Airlines). At start he joined this organization as a Controller in 1986. Gradually due to his hard work he was promoted to Chief financial officer in the year 1989 and Vice President in the field of Finance. In the year 2001 again he was promoted to the post of Executive Vice President. Kelly worked in this position for 3 years. After working as an Executive Vice president, he was promoted and became the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in 2004 by replacing James Parker.

Kelly received a B.B.A degree in Accounting from Texas University (Austin) and is a certified Public Accountant. He was named Chairman of the Board of Directors on May 21, 2008 in Southwest Airlines by replacing the CO- founder Herb Kelleher. In the same year he became the president of the company by replacing Colleen Barrett because Colleen's contract expired on July 15, 2008. Gary Kelly is recognized as one of the best CEOs in America by Institutional Investor magazine.

Management Style and Skills of Gary Kelly

Airlines have faced tough challenges in recent years as rising fuel costs are taking a toll. Discount carriers such as Jet Blue, Air Tran, Spirit, and Southwest, whose strategy is based on low fares, have increased fares, in some cases making them higher than the major airlines' fares for some routes. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly has no easy job. When he took over as Southwest's CEO in 2004, he had huge shoes to fill. Founder and former CEO Herb Kelleher revolutionized the airline industry through his vision of bringing cheaper travel to the masses and by developing a culture where employees thrived. With its strong culture of “employees first, customer focus, and cost containment,” Southwest has continued to prosper under Kelly. The airline began flying in 1971, turned a profit in 1973, and has remained profitable ever since, a feat no other airline has matched. Southwest now flies more passengers in the United States than any ...