Northwest Airlines today announced two leadership appointments in its
international and alliance organizations, naming Nathaniel Pieper to the
position of vice president-alliances and Jim Friedel, president of NWA Cargo,
to the additional role of senior vice president-Pacific, effective
immediately.In his new role, Pieper will be responsible for Northwest’s global
alliance strategy and partnerships, including the airline’s highly successful
joint venture with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest’s membership in the
SkyTeam alliance.
  Pieper replaces Gary Fishman, who has retired from Northwest.
  “Nat has held a number of key positions with Northwest in financial and
business planning,” said Phil Haan, executive vice president of international,
alliances and information technology and chairman of NWA Cargo.  “Nat’s
leadership skills and wide range of experience at Northwest will help us
continue to develop our strategic global alliances to better serve our
customers.”
  Pieper joined Northwest in 1997.  Since 2003, he has served as managing
director of financial planning and analysis, with responsibilities for labor
analysis, long-range financial planning and fleet planning, including
Northwest’s recent Boeing 787 order.  Previously, he held positions in and had
responsibility for capital planning and strategic planning.  Pieper earned an
MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in finance,
strategy and transportation management and a BA in history from Duke
University.
  Thanking Fishman for his 12 years of service with Northwest, Haan said,
“During his career at Northwest Airlines, Gary Fishman made important
contributions to the company’s success in the areas of facilitating our entry
into SkyTeam, providing our customers with a faster and more efficient airport
experience and providing financial leadership of our technical operations
division.  We wish him well in his new endeavors.”

  Jim Friedel will take on the newly-created role of senior vice president-
Pacific in addition to retaining his responsibilities as president of NWA
Cargo.  Friedel will have profit and loss (P&L) responsibility for Northwest’s
Asia/Pacific operations.
  “Jim’s vast cargo experience in the Asia/Pacific region will be a strong
asset as he leads our efforts to leverage the combination of Northwest’s major
passenger and cargo presence in this key region,” said Haan.
  “The Asia/Pacific region continues to be the most rapidly developing part
of the global economy,” said Friedel.  “I look forward to working with the
passenger and cargo teams to ensure that Northwest continues to be a strong
and nimble competitor.”
  A 14-year veteran of Northwest, Friedel is president of NWA Cargo, one of
the largest players in the trans-Pacific air freight market.  Before joining
NWA Cargo in 1996, Friedel had responsibility for the operation of Northwest’s
passenger reservations offices in the U.S.  He also served as director of
analysis in corporate finance.
  Before joining Northwest in 1991, Friedel was an associate with Mercer
Management Consulting, where he worked with logistics clients such as
railroads, distribution centers, overnight express couriers, and truckers.  He
holds an economics degree from Princeton University and is a native of New
York.
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