Southwest Replaces Chairman After Less Than One Year in Job

Southwest Airlines Co. said Rakesh Gangwal is resigning as chairman, a little over a year after joining the board and serving in his current role for just eight months.

Doug Brooks, a Southwest board member for more than 15 years, has been tapped for the chairman job. The move comes after an activist investor placed six new members on the airline’s board in October, and Gangwal’s elevation to chair a month later. His exit from that position, which is effective Friday, is due to time commitments unrelated to Southwest, the Dallas-based carrier said in a statement Thursday.