Chrysler Board Has Airlines Flavor

The new Chrysler board includes two former airline executives, former Northwest CEO Doug Steenland and Steven Wolf, former CEO of United(UAUA Quote) and chairman of US Airways(LCC Quote).

"Our board members bring a wealth of talent and experience in areas such as transportation, finance and investing, energy and government," said board chairman Robert Kidder, in a prepared statement.

Steenland, an attorney, joined Northwest in 1991, became CEO in 2004, and lost his job when the carrier merged with Delta(DAL Quote) in 2008.

Wolf is an industry icon who worked at seven carriers between 1966 and 2003. He was United CEO from 1987 to 1994 and US Airways chairman from 1996 to 2003. He is chairman of R.R. Donnelley(RRD Quote) and managing partner of Alpilles LLC.

Other Chrysler board members are Alfredo Altavilla, CEO of Fiat Powertrain Technologies; James Blanchard, former U.S. congressman and governor of Michigan; George Gosbee, CEO of Tristone Capital; Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler and Fiat; Scott Stuart, a founding partner of Sageview Capital, and Ronald Thompson, chairman of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA).

"While Chrysler Group LLC is a private company, the board is focused on supplying the strong governance that would be expected of a public company," Kidder said.