Alaska Airlines has promoted Diana Birkett Rakow to Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability, in a move that underscores the airline’s commitment to lead the aviation industry with ambitious and measurable goals to protect the places the carrier flies and to support the people and communities it serves.
Birkett Rakow joined Alaska in 2017 and has led the establishment and pursuit of the airline’s climate strategy and strengthened Alaska’s Environmental Social Governance (ESG) programme as a whole. Her previous title was Vice President of External Relations. In April 2021, the airline announced 2025 ESG goals across the most important areas of impact for the company, including near-term goals to be the most fuel-efficient US airline by 2025. The company also set a five-part path to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, joined the Climate Pledge and established Alaska Star Ventures to identify and enable technology that can accelerate its path to net zero. That strategy leverages operational best practices and next-generation disruptive technology to transform and reduce the long-term climate impact of aviation.