Riderwood’s Arthur Lewis Shares Knowledge with Airline Industry Leader

As the second president of Hawaiian Airlines, Riderwood’s Arthur Lewis made a lasting impact on the rapidly growing airline industry. In fact, his knowledge and insight into the operations and challenges faced by today’s airlines led to a recent “meeting of the minds” between Arthur and the current president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, Mark Dunkerly.

Small World

Having worked for an airline with operations over 5,000 miles away, Riderwood’s Arthur Lewis, recently made an amazing discovery. His physician, and Riderwood’s Senior Medical Director, Eugene Machado, is related to the man, Mark Dunkerly, who now holds his former job.

With his vast knowledge of airline operations and the desire to share his thoughts and ideas with the current leadership, Arthur inquired into the possibility of meeting with Mark. It didn’t take long for the two men to arrange a face-to-face meeting to exchange their thoughts and visions on the current airline industry. Arthur invited Mark to visit him at Riderwood. The meeting began as Mark greeted Arthur in the traditional “aloha way” (with a handmade Hawaiian lei) and presented him with a Hawaiian Airlines anniversary book featuring a photo of the former president. Arthur, in turn, greeted Mark with a book about the history of Hawaiian Airlines.

CEO Exchange

Arthur and Mark spent the afternoon sharing their ideas on the various problems facing airline industry executives today including on-time performance, competition, and labor agreements. Most notably, the two men discovered that during their time at the helm, they both faced the unique challenges of leading an airline during a time of financial crisis. “The airline industry is still tough, and it’s also a terribly competitive business,” says Mark.

Lessons in Leadership