FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines has nominated BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer for election to the airline’s board of directors.
The board will be elected at the annual meeting of stockholders on June 11. If elected, she will serve on the board’s finance and safety committees.
“We are very pleased to nominate Katie to the American Airlines board,” board chairman Greg Smith said in an April 17 press release. “Katie is a very well-respected leader who will bring significant, relevant and proven senior leadership experience to our company and our boardroom.”
Farmer, 55, became BNSF’s CEO in 2021. The graduate of Texas Christian University joined Burlington Northern in 1992 and has held a variety of leadership positions in more than 30 years at the company, including chief operations officer and group vice president of consumer products.
“Katie is a tremendous leader who has held key operational and commercial roles during her time at BNSF,” said American CEO Robert Isom. “Her operational and marketing expertise and experience in a highly regulated industry will be important assets to American and our board.”
There is no end to the ego of those who lead large companies. How much money is enough? They don’t refuse money for their board memberships (some are on several boards.)
I don’t know how much Katie will be paid. But there’s a whole lot of (a) work (b) responsibility (c) potential liability serving on any board, from your neighborhood HOA on up to a major corporation.
@ Charles: Usually before one agrees to serve on a board, they look at the levels and type of board insurance the company carries to cover any liabilities.
I am all for career development and career acknowledgement, but why are CEO’s so compelled to work on other company boards? It’s not about compensation, even though board positions are paid, she makes enough in her current job.
Many regulated companies don’t allow their employees to acquire co-employment, so why are CEO’s exempt?
Board members do work, its not a sit at a desk 4 times a year for meetings, they are placed on committees to get work done.
For CEO’s that espouse their workers to be 100% focused on their work to make the company successful, but seem to think they can divide their time to perform work not core to the one they lead.
It’s a weird irony.