Chief Executive Leadership Institute Honors Doug Parker of American Airlines with Legend in Leadership Award

 Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of American Airlines, will accept the Legend in Leadership Award from the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute during the Yale CEO Caucus on March 21. The award will be presented by Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, and Carmine Di Sibio, Global Chairman and CEO of EY.

Before joining American Airlines in 2013, Parker was an established leader in the airline industry, leading such companies as America West and US Airways. Just 10 days into his tenure at America West in 2001, he was called to lead the company through the challenges of 9/11. After taking the helm at US Airways as chairman and CEO, he led the company through a successful merger with American Airlines in 2013, where he has led since, tackling issues such as scrutinized airline infrastructure and keeping up with technological advances, the aviation industry’s impact on climate change, and, perhaps most challenging, the two years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Summit organizer Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management, said: “We celebrate Doug for his nine years of stellar leadership at American Airlines with outstanding performance, superior customer service, and an energetic, truly inclusive culture, but also for his contributions to the business community in general and our nation at large. Doug’s brilliant, responsible leadership of three major air carriers, through mergers, war time, peacetime, the pandemic, booms, and busts over the span of his 35-year career put him in rarified air. Doug helped forge a more efficient, safe air travel system through his vision and industry advocacy. Beyond the industry, Doug has been a patriotic, courageous, inspiring business statesperson setting the model for tackling some of society’s toughest collective challenges.”

The Legend in Leadership Award was created 25 years ago to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations. Past recipients include: General Mark A. Milley, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lynn Good, CEO, Duke Energy; Lisa Su, CEO, AMD; Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart; Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International; Andrew J. Young, mayor (1982-1990), Atlanta, Georgia, and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1977-1979); Brian C. Cornell, chair and CEO, Target Corporation; Doug McMillan, president and CEO, Walmart; Ivan G. Seidenberg, chair and CEO, Verizon Communications; Ken Frazier, chair and CEO, Merck & Co.; Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International; Randall L. Stephenson, chairman and CEO, AT&T; Colin Powell, retired four-star U.S. Army General, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93), and 65th U.S. Secretary of State (2001–05); Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty, chairman, president, and CEO, IBM Corporation; Janet Yellen, United States Secretary of the Treasury; Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever PLC; Mary T. Barra, chairman and chief executive of General Motors Company; Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO, Bank of America; David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman, The Carlyle Group; Leonard S. Schleifer, president and CEO, and George D. Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; Brian Roberts, CEO, Comcast; Marillyn Hewson, CEO, Lockheed Martin; Jamie Dimon, CEO, JPMorgan Chase; and Ken Chenault, chair and CEO, American Express. A full list of recipients can be found online.

The Summit theme is “Creating and Competing for the Future: Guiding and Governing Technology.” The event promises to be a lively, candid discussion with distinguished global corporate leaders from across industries.

Among those top leaders participating are the CEOs and leaders from Honeywell International, Freeport-McMoRan, Steelcase, AMC Entertainment, Marriott International, Panera Bread, American Airlines Group, Atlas Merchant Capital, EY, Alix Partners, the Anti-Defamation League, AGCO Corporation, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Siemens USA, Ethan Allen, United Aluminum Corporation, Boston Consulting Group, Affirm, HP Inc., Schnitzer Steel Industries, Otis Elevator Company, Purdue Pharma, AccuWeather, McKinsey & Company, Snap-on Incorporated, Edison International, LSC Communications, Edelman, Microboard Processing, Kyndryl, and Cowen Inc.

A full list of CEO Summit participants can be found online.

Conference partners include AccuWeather, Alix Partners, Edelman, Evercore, EY, Korn Ferry, NewsGuard Technologies, Stagwell Inc., UPS, and Wilson Sonsini