To recognize Ed Bastian’s longstanding personal commitments to ethical leadership, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) honored Delta’s CEO with the 2023 Ethical Leader of the Year award at its annual conference in Las Vegas earlier this month. The event also marked the association’s 75th anniversary. The accolade was presented in partnership with The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, a family foundation committed to compassionate philanthropy.
“Delta has thrived under Ed Bastian’s leadership, and that’s why he was chosen as our Ethical Leader of the Year,” says Brian Peckrill, interim executive director for the McGowan Fund, during his presentation of the award at the event. “The McGowan Fund and Delta both cherish leadership in the community, putting people first, and a commitment to values-based decision making.”
A committee of national judges selected Bastian for his ability to lead by example and his “extraordinary efforts leading Delta through the COVID-19 pandemic among other major crises in his 25-year tenure at the company,” according to a prepared statement. When Bastian received his award, he thanked some 90,000 global airline professionals from the stage while sharing his top priority as CEO. “When people ask me what my job is and what … I do, I tell them it’s really simple—my job is taking care of our people. … And I obsess over taking care of them.”
