Michelle Horn

Finding the Through Lines

After starting her career as a journalist in the Middle East, Michelle Horn (MBA ’95) has worked in government sales and C-level positions across three global organizations, including 22 years at McKinsey & Co., SoftBank and now Delta Air Lines. The through line in a varied, global career: “I am a lover of solving complex issues, building new opportunities and doing both with great people,” said Horn. “My whole life is one case discussion after another.”

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Horn’s childhood included living in Germany, Bolivia, Portugal, France and Jordan by the time she finished college. As a new graduate, the now-Atlanta, Georgia, resident found herself selling computer systems in Washington, D.C. Interesting and complicated work, Horn said, but she felt hungry for more. While she knew an MBA could be a ticket to broader professional experiences, she wasn’t prepared for the transformative experience she found in her two years at Darden. “I found my voice and learned to debate productively and gather my thoughts on the fly,” Horn said. “At the same time, the whole rich and varied world of business opened up for me.” Barely familiar with consulting before Darden,

Horn blazed a unique path at McKinsey across two decades as a C-level partner serving consumer-focused clients across transportation, retail, and packaged goods. She eventually became chief of staff to McKinsey’s worldwide managing director as the company forged a path forward following the global financial crisis. “We needed to figure out how to grow forward with purpose,” Horn said. “We were leading the transformation of the firm versus doing it for a client.”

Fueled by a love of building new opportunities, complex issues and global scale, Horn couldn’t resist the opportunity to move to SoftBank to build and scale fast-growth, AI-driven companies. Then in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta Air Lines offered another opportunity for Horn to lead growth forward at a time when the company faced significant debt and operations were at 15 percent of pre-pandemic flying.

Helping Delta stabilize and grow its loved travel brand for its customers and employees was an irresistible proposition. Horn, who serves as senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Delta, is responsible for transformation, enterprise planning and initiatives, and fleet acquisition. “For a strategy person, it was a perfect opportunity to ask how we both grow back even better and further elevate customer experience and loyalty.”

For Horn, her husband John, a UVA Law graduate, and their family, connection to UVA and Darden has been another through line.

“Our paths just keep circling back, and it’s been a privilege to be connected to the incredible progress and vibrant people that make up Darden,” said Horn.