Howard Putnam

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Howard Putnam's ultimate objective is "bottom-line improvement." He believes that cultures that place their people as their highest priority have the greatest long-term impact and success.

Putnam is the former CEO of the highly successful Southwest Airlines, whose foundation and culture placed people first. Later, after being recruited to be the CEO of failing Braniff International, he was the first CEO to successfully restructure a major airline into, through, and out of Chapter 11. Earlier in his career, he spent over twenty years with United Airlines, his final position being group vice president of marketing.

He has been an entrepreneur, the chairman of a start-up management and investment company, and for the past several years, an author, commentator, speaker and advisor on business issues, change, leadership and ethics.

HarperCollins published his first book, The Winds of Turbulence, on leadership and ethics. Harvard University wrote a case study on his Braniff experiences, The Ethics of Bankruptcy. It is a teaching model for handling all stakeholders honestly and ethically in crisis. He has an MBA in marketing from the University of Chicago and attended Harvard's Advanced Management Program.

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