Priya Aiyar

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, American Airlines

Search every verified Priya Aiyar interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Priya Aiyar, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at American Airlines, discussed her career and perspectives on diversity in the legal profession and the airline industry during a March 2024 appearance on the NAPABA Coffee House podcast. She described her career path, including prior government service as acting general counsel and deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy, and deputy chief counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. She also noted clerking for then-D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland and former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. In the conversation, Aiyar said that American Airlines and the airline industry have "a lot of work to do" in creating a more diverse and inclusive environment, citing historically segregated workforces such as pilots and mechanics. She also said that while progress has been made over the past 20 years, barriers remain for reaching senior leadership roles in the legal profession, attributing part of the challenge to biases. Aiyar discussed her efforts at American Airlines to build its pro bono program and expressed support for community involvement and pro bono work as sources of personal fulfillment and service.