Alaska Airlines suspends effort with Russian airline

SEATTLE – Alaska Airlines said Tuesday it is temporarily suspending its partnership with a Russian airline over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis taking place in Ukraine,” a statement from the Seattle-based airline said. “As a result, we are temporarily suspending our partnership with the Russian airline S7.”

Alaska Airline guests, as of March 1, will not be able to earn miles on S7, and Alaska’s work to enable redemptions on S7 also will stop.

Alaska said it has also suspended its limited interline relationships with S7 and Aeroflot, the largest carrier in Russia. Interlining allows passengers on one airline to be ticketed on a competing airline for various issues such as bad weather.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday announced a move to sever ties with Russian entities doing business with Washington state in protest of the invasion of Ukraine and urged private businesses in the state to consider cutting ties with Russia.

Toshiba CEO steps down during restructuring plan

TOKYO – Japanese technology giant Toshiba has named a new chief executive as it seeks shareholder approval for a restructuring plan aimed at restoring its reputation and competitiveness.

The company said Tuesday that its board had decided Taro Shimada, an executive officer and corporate senior vice president, would replace Satoshi Tsunakawa as chief executive.

Shimada was an executive at Siemens, both in Japan and the U.S., before joining Tokyo-based Toshiba Corp. in 2018, working in its digital operations.

He faces the challenge of leading a restructuring plan that has drawn criticism from shareholders.

In February, Toshiba said it plans to split into two companies, one focused on infrastructure and the other on devices.

Shimada said he takes pride in being the first CEO with a background in digital technology and hopes that will be a plus for Toshiba’s energy business.

“I have been at Toshiba for only three years, but I love Toshiba,” he said.

When asked about how he hoped to win over critical shareholders, Shimada said he had learned while working in the U.S. about the importance of communicating as equals, referring to the expression “put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”The restructuring proposal is still subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

Domino’s Pizza CEO Allison to be replaced by Weiner

Domino’s Pizza CEO Ritch Allison announced his retirement Tuesday, the same day the company announced weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

Allison, 55, who has served as CEO since 2018, said he will step down at the end of April but remain in an advisory capacity through mid-July.

He will be replaced by Russell Weiner, 53, who is currently Domino’s president and chief operating officer.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company also announced that Sandeep Reddy will become its new chief financial officer on April 1.

Reddy is a turnaround expert who has also served as CFO of Six Flags and Guess.

Domino’s said its global revenue fell 1% to $1.34 billion in the October-December period. That was short of Wall Street’s forecast of $1.38 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

The company said its net income rose 2.5% to $155.7 million, or $4.25 per share, in the fourth quarter. That also fell short of the $4.28 that analysts forecast.

From wire reports