Alaska Airlines Names Pedersen Staff Vice President/Finance & Controller.

Business Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2003

Brandon Pedersen has been named staff vice president of finance and controller of Alaska Airlines and controller of Alaska Air Group, Inc., parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

Pedersen will join the company on December 29 and assume responsibility for the carrier's accounting and financial reporting. He will report to Glenn Johnson, vice president of finance.

Pedersen comes to Alaska from the Seattle office of KPMG, one of the nation's largest public accounting firms. A partner with KPMG, Pedersen previously worked in the Seattle office of Arthur Andersen. He began his career with Andersen out of college as a staff accountant, and over a 12-year period with that firm rose to partner, handling a diverse range of clients and projects.

"Brandon is a superior financial manager with exceptional technical ability in the areas of generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards," said Johnson. "But, equally important, he is an individual who has important leadership, communication and interpersonal skills."

A licensed certified public accountant, Pedersen is a former member of the part time faculty at the University of Washington's School of Business. He has also been a member of the board of directors of the American Red Cross of King and Kitsap Counties.

Pedersen holds bachelor's degrees in both business administration and economics from the University of Washington.