Sustainability Magazine February 2024 | Page 100

As CSO , Amelia DeLuca is leading Delta Air Lines on its journey to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 .

“ I came into this role because I had a strong track record as a team leader with an ability to galvanise teams to solve hard problems ,” Amelia says . “ I have a background in Math , so I love data . Across Delta and within my role , we follow the data . We are committed to sciencebased targets and are always testing , iterating , and re-testing based on the feedback and data we receive .”

Amelia previously served as VP , International Customer Experience and Partner Sustainability where she led cross-divisional efforts to deliver a consistent premium customer experience across Delta ’ s partners .

She also supported the development of Delta ’ s partner sustainability strategy across its global partner network to accelerate the alliance ’ s leading sustainability position .

During her 17-year career with Delta , Amelia has held leadership positions within the Sustainability , Global Sales , Revenue Management and Network Planning teams and been based in Mexico , the US , and the Netherlands .

Female leadership in aviation However , the rise of the CSO could lead to more women CEOs .

Delta Air Lines ’ CSO Amelia DeLuca admits that sustainability has always played a role in her personal life – from raising her children to making purchasing decisions at home , or supporting environmental initiatives – but it took years working at Delta before it became a career .

“ From the get-go , I was hooked because sustainability is all about innovation , partnerships , data and blazing new paths without always knowing if you ’ ll reach the destination or need to pivot after a short layover ,” says DeLuca .

She says that while the aviation industry historically has not had a lot of female representation , let alone in the C-Suite , that has been changing at Delta for some time .

100 February 2024