Matthew Friend — Board Member Accountability Profile
Category: Private Citizen — Corporate Director Role: Director, United Airlines Holdings Inc. Board Tenure: 2021 – present Committee Memberships: Audit, Compensation, Finance Profile Type: Board Member Accountability — Anchor B (Documented Organizational Leadership)
Basis for Inclusion: Matthew Friend holds a documented governance role at United Airlines Holdings Inc. United Airlines Holdings Inc. is one of the world’s largest airlines and made documented political donations to Trump-aligned entities. United Airlines is significantly affected by DOT slot allocations, FAA safety oversight, government travel contracts, and administration policies on carbon emissions and international aviation agreements. This profile documents the factual governance relationship, not the subject’s personal political views.
Subject Classification: Private Citizen / Corporate Director. Board membership is a matter of public record.
What is NOT the basis for inclusion: Personal political opinions, party affiliation, or protected speech are NOT the basis for inclusion.
Biographical Overview
Matthew Friend is a senior financial executive with extensive experience in corporate finance and investment banking. He serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nike, Inc., one of the world’s largest athletic footwear and apparel companies, a role he has held since 2020. Prior to joining Nike’s CFO role, Friend held various senior finance positions within the company. Before his career at Nike, he worked in technology, media, and telecommunications investment banking at Goldman Sachs. Friend joined the United Airlines Holdings board in 2021 and brings deep financial oversight expertise to the Audit, Compensation, and Finance committees.
Board Role and Governance Authority
- Company: United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL)
- Board tenure: 2021 – present
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Finance Committee
Other Current Board Memberships (if applicable)
No additional public company board seats outside of Nike, Inc. reported in 2025 proxy.
Parent Corporate Donor Profile
This profile is a governance-accountability companion to the United Airlines Holdings corporate donor profile.
Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.
Investigative trail pointers (public records)
Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.
| Channel | Starting points |
|---|---|
| Federal courts | CourtListener / PACER party and attorney searches (spelling variants) |
| Campaign finance | FEC + OpenSecrets for committees and donors tied to documented roles |
| Corporate / LLC | State secretary of state; OpenCorporates for cross-border shells from reporting |
| Sanctions / PEP | OpenSanctions when international business context is already sourced |
| Contracts / grants | USAspending.gov for named entities from investigations |
Use public-records-research-specialist, corporate-intelligence-investigator, and public-corruption-ombudsman evidence tiers.
Sources
- United Airlines Holdings Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement, 2025; SEC EDGAR