United Continental names interim CEO

The airline has appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel Brett Hart acting chief executive officer while current CEO Oscar Munoz is on medical leave recovering from the heart attack he suffered last week.    United Continental Holdings, Inc. has named Brett J. Hart, currently the company’s executive vice president and general counsel, as acting chief executive officer effective immediately, according to a statement from the airline.
   Current CEO Oscar Munoz will take a leave of absence after suffering a heart attack last Thursday.
   Hart will work closely with Henry L. Meyer III, United’s non-executive board chairman, and the company’s executive team to run the airline in Munoz’s absence, United said.
   Hart joined United in 2010 having previously served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Sara Lee, partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, and special assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Treasury. In his role as SVP and general counsel, he has been responsible for government and regulatory affairs, corporate real estate, customer experience, corporate security, community affairs, contact centers and food services.
   Hart earned his bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and English from the University of Michigan and his juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School.
   “Brett has taken on increasing responsibility beyond general counsel over the last few years in the operations and customer facing areas of the company,” Meyer said of the appointment. “I am confident in his ability to continue to implement the company’s strategy and Oscar’s mission of bringing United’s people together around the shared purpose of becoming the best airline for our customers and employees.”
   “Oscar’s agenda is focused on customer service, teamwork and innovation and I, along with the executive team, will continue to move quickly to implement it,” added Hart. “We believe strongly that we can continue to make steady progress on increasing shareholder value by working together to deliver a great product to our customers.”
   Looking forward, the company said United’s board of directors “remains actively engaged in preparing for all potential outcomes regarding the company’s leadership structure.”