Doug Parker
Chairman and CEO, US Airways
Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona
Website: www.usairways.com
Primary Business: Aviation/Transportation
Revenues: $10.5 billion
Employees: 32,000
2011 CEO in Action
Nearly 80 million customers each year count on US Airways to get them to more than 200 destinations in 32 countries and territories safely, reliably and conveniently. It’s our commitment to an inclusive environment that helps us better serve the needs of our diverse customer base, attract top talent and provide growth opportunities for our 32,000 employees.
I’m proud to say we’ve built a truly welcoming culture for every member of our employee family. And I hope that culture is apparent to the people who choose our airline for their travel needs.
I think the cornerstone of an inclusive environment is open, honest, frequent communication. We’ve worked hard to make sure that employees know that their voice is heard and that I and other members of our leadership team are listening to and acting on their suggestions and concerns. One of the ways we do this is by hosting quarterly company-wide meetings and monthly meetings that are geared to specific employee groups.
A more unique approach we’ve had to creating an inclusive workplace is establishing company-sponsored employee resource groups that encourage networking and career development. These professional associations are made up of people from similar backgrounds as well as those who support them or who are interested in learning more about them. We currently have eight employee resource groups, all of which are guided by members of our executive team. Membership in these groups has increased 26 percent over the past year, with the fastest growth in our professional women’s network. That’s not surprising, given that women make up about 40 percent of the US Airways team.
Our efforts to create an environment where all of our employees are treated with respect and equal opportunity have been noticed. US Airways was the only airline recognized as one of the 50 best companies for Latinas to work for in the United States in the LATINA Style 50 Report for 2010. And last fall, for the sixth year in a row, we received a 100 percent ranking on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
I feel very good about the culture of diversity and inclusion we have created. We will continue working to make sure that each one of our employees feels valued and knows he or she not only has room to grow in our company, but will be supported in doing so. Our focus on mentoring future leaders, along with strengthening our diversity recruitment and training efforts, will ensure US Airways is a company our employees enjoy working for and an airline our customers enjoy doing business with.
Education: BA in Economics, Albion College; MBA, Vanderbilt University
First Job: Bagger at a grocery store
What I’m Reading: The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
My Philosophy: Get the very best team of people you can find and give them the latitude to do their jobs as they see fit.
Best Advice: Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Family: Wife Gwen; children Jackson, 16; Luke, 13; Eliza, 11
Interests: Family, traveling, attending school events and coaching; golfing, running
Favorite Charities: United Way, United Methodist Outreach Ministries’ (UMOM) New Day Center, Habitat for Humanity
