Diana Birkett Rakow became CEO of Hawaiian Airlines in October 2025 after eight years heading parent company Alaska Air Group’s sustainability, venture investments and public affairs strategy. It’s a rare career progression among corporate sustainability professionals, but Birkett Rakow argues it should be more common because CSOs and CEOs share a common challenge: creating business value while navigating systems change. “Fundamentally, the definition of sustainability is durability,” she said during the latest episode of our Climate Pioneers interview series. “It’s being here and being successful for a long time.” Hawaiian celebrated its 96th anniversary in 2025, making it one of the oldest U.S. airlines. It was acquired by Alaska Air in September 2024, and Birkett Rakow was closely involved with the integration planning as part of the executive committee led by her boss, Alaska Air CEO Ben Minicucci. She was named to Hawaiian’s board when the integration was completed, ahead of her promotion. Her mission: build on the airlines’ investments in sustainable aviation fuel and efficiency measures, such as local sourcing, to position the combined company for low-carbon business growth. “Knowing climate science is a real asset, increasingly, for chief sustainability officers, but not just knowing that science, knowing how to translate it into business integration and business outcomes and into initiatives that will actually drive impact,” she said. “I think the duality of that experience is also really important.” Birkett Rakow’s long-time experience in public affairs and community relations was also a key factor in her promotion to CEO one…
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