Delta Names Robert S. Rivkin Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel -- International and Regulatory Affairs

New executive adds deep experience and skills as Delta expands its global presence

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Apr 09, 2013, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) announced that Robert S. Rivkin will be joining the airline May 6 as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel – International and Regulatory Affairs, a critical position that reflects Delta's growing global presence and the increasing importance to Delta of governmental regulation and oversight in the U.S. and abroad.

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Prior to joining Delta, Rivkin spent four years as General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation, after being nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At the DOT, Rivkin served as chief legal officer, counsel to Secretary Ray LaHood and twice was awarded the Secretary's Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement.

"As we continue our focus on becoming a leading global carrier, we are fortunate to add Bob to our senior leadership team because of his diverse experience and unique combination of legal, business and policy acumen," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "We are thrilled to welcome Bob to the Delta family where he will be a great fit with Delta's values and culture."

Before joining the DOT, Rivkin served as vice president and deputy general counsel of Aon Corporation, a Chicago-based global risk management and insurance brokerage firm, where, among other accomplishments, he established Aon's legal functions in Canada and Latin America. From 2001 to 2004, Rivkin was general counsel of the Chicago Transit Authority, America's second-largest transportation system. Previously, Rivkin practiced law as a partner at the Chicago law firm now known as Schiff Hardin, L.L.P., served as director of programs and policy for the City of Chicago's Law Department, and prosecuted federal criminal cases as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Rivkin also has worked at the British Parliament and at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.

Rivkin graduated from Harvard College, received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Stanford Law Review, and clerked for Judge Joel M. Flaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.

"With his broad and deep legal skills, expertise in transportation, international experience, and experience at the highest levels of government, Bob will be a great addition to our team," said Ben Hirst, Delta's General Counsel.

"I look forward to working with Bob as we continue to expand as a global carrier," said Andrea Newman, Senior Vice President – Government Affairs.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 313 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.