Biography

Michael Leskinen is executive vice president and chief financial officer at United. Leskinen joined United in 2018 as managing director of Investor Relations and was promoted to vice president of Corporate Development and Investor Relations in 2019. In 2021, he added the title of President of United Airlines Ventures (UAV), an industry-first corporate venture capital fund that identifies and invests in opportunities to decarbonize air travel and enhance the customer travel experience.

In 2020, Leskinen led the multi-divisional team that successfully raised $6.8 billion of financing secured by the airline’s MileagePlus loyalty program, an industry first giving United critical financial flexibility to manage through the pandemic. More recently, Leskinen oversaw the launch of a nearly $200 million corporate investment fund that includes investments from UAV and other corporate and financial sponsors to support start-ups focused on accelerating the research and production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Prior to United, Leskinen was an executive director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management from 2013-2017, where he led the firm's investment efforts in aerospace, defense, and airlines. And from 2009-2013, he worked at Oppenheimer Funds focused on the aerospace sector. Leskinen received his bachelor's degree in finance from Arizona State University and his M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Leskinen and his wife Stephanie have six children and live in the Chicago suburbs.