Lawrence W. "Larry" Kellner is the former CEO of Continental Airlines, having succeeded Gordon Bethune as CEO in December 2004. Prior to his arrival at Continental, he was the chief financial officer of American Savings Bank. Kellner retired as the airline's chief executive at the end of December 2009. During his career at Continental, he previously was a vice president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Kellner is president of Emerald Creek Group, LLC - a Texas-based private equity firm primarily focused on real estate and also is on the board of directors at ExxonMobil. He resigned as chairman of the board of directors of The Boeing Company following a series of incidents involving Boeing aircraft.