Southwest Airlines Co. said Thursday its Chief Financial Officer Laura Wright will retire, effective September 20, on personal grounds. Wright, who is also senior vice president of Finance, will be replaced by Tammy Romo, who is currently serving as vice president of Planning. Romo will also retain her leadership over the Financial Planning and Analysis as well as Strategic Planning functions.<br /><br />Wright will remain through year end to assist with the transition, capping a nearly 25 years of service at the company.<br /><br />Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said, "Laura has played a key role in the strong financial positioning of Southwest Airlines during the most challenging and difficult times our industry has ever faced."<br /><br />Romo joined Southwest in 1991 as manager of Financial Reporting and earlier served as director of Investor Relations. She also has held vice presidential positions as Treasurer and Controller. Prior to joining Southwest, Romo was an audit manager at Coopers & Lybrand LLP.<br /><br />"We are fortunate to have a deep and knowledgeable leadership bench," said Southwest CEO Gary Kelly.<br /><br />"Tammy is an excellent choice based on her strong accounting and technical background, outstanding strategic planning capabilities, and deep knowledge of our Company and overall corporate finance strategy," Kelly added.<br /><br /> <br />Southwest, which is in the process of optimizing and modernizing its fleet, recently reported a 42 percent rise in quarterly profit, on higher passenger revenues and lower fuel costs. The company estimates fleet optimization initiatives to contribute, pre-tax, more than $300 million in 2013 and over $500 million in 2014.