Kevin Kleist
Sr. Emerging Trends Advisor
Southwest Airlines
As a dynamic and motivated leader with a passion for exploring the emerging tech and startup landscape, Kevin is helping to drive change within the airline by exposing the company to new and emerging technologies that will help solve for the unique challenges that face the airline today and in the future.
Leading the Emerging Trends practice at Southwest Airlines, Kevin builds meaningful relationships throughout the open innovation ecosystem for collaboration with innovation-driven companies and startups to study, design, develop, and test emerging technologies in real-world environments. Through those collaborations, Kevin gathers key insights and learnings that are used to better understand a solutions viability, its risks, and how the solution would integrate with the company’s existing technology and infrastructure.
Kevin also serves as the Head of Innovation, Digitalization & Startup Engagement for FTE’s Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub bringing together the most forward-thinking airlines, airports, vendors, investors and startups in the aviation industry. With a community-focused approach and a dedicated focus on AI, Robotics and IoT, Kevin is collaborating with innovative leaders providing a unique opportunity to share their expertise, to discover new opportunities for partner engagement, and to deliver positive change within the industry.
He is a graduate of Baylor University, and currently lives with his wife and two daughters in Texas.