JetBlue on July 1, announced that Amy Burr has been named president of the company’s wholly owned venture capital subsidiary, JetBlue Technology Ventures (JTV).
Burr has been with JetBlue since 2018 as JTV’s managing director of operations and partnerships, where she built an ecosystem of partners and deployment opportunities for the many technologies of JTV's portfolio companies.
As head of JTV, Burr will shape the strategic venture investment direction of JetBlue and facilitate integration of successful startup programs into the airline’s overall corporate innovation initiatives. She will report to Brandon Nelson, JetBlue’s general counsel and corporate secretary, who also serves as oversight officer of JTV. Nelson was involved with the creation of JTV in 2016 and has served on the subsidiary’s investment committee as chair for the past several years.
“Amy has done a phenomenal job leading the JTV team over the past several months, and we’re looking forward to seeing her bring her innovation experience to life as part of JetBlue’s leadership team,” said Nelson.
Burr has been a leader in creating, sourcing and implementing innovative technology in the travel space for the last 21 years. As an original founder of Virgin America in 2004, she worked in areas including strategy, corporate program leadership and commercial and revenue development. She ended her time with the company as the leader of the merger integration with Alaska Airlines.
Burr succeeds Bonny Simi, JTV’s founder and president from 2016-2020. Simi served JetBlue for 18 years in a variety of roles, including as a pilot, director, customer service and vice president, talent. She joined JTV portfolio company Joby Aviation in December 2020 as head of people and operations, and remains an advisor to the JTV team.
“Amy and I have been working very closely in preparation for this transition, and I am proud to see her officially step into this role. She is well-positioned to lead the team during its next phase, and I am excited to continue to support her successes as an advisor,” said Simi.
