United Airlines Adds Nike CFO to Board

A United Airlines 747 at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport

United Airlines announced the appointment of Matthew Friend to the company’s board of directors.

Mr. Friend is Nike’s chief financial officer and has been with the company since January 2011 when he joined as vice president of corporate strategy.  Prior to Nike, he served as a senior vice president at Goldman Sachs and an analyst at Morgan Stanley.

In announcing the appointment, United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, cited Mr. Friend’s “deep financial acumen” as well as his “stewardship of one of the leading consumer brands on the planet.”

For his part, Mr. Friend said he was “thrilled” to be joining the board.

Prior to entering the workforce, Mr. Friend attended the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1999.  He was a member of the university’s baseball team during his tenure there.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)