Steve Smith, vice president of global sales for Japan Airlines, will retire Sept. 30 after a 39-year aviation career that began at Delta Air Lines. He held leadership positions in sales for the US, Europe and worldwide at other carriers prior to joining JAL in 2006 as vice president-sales in the Americas region. At JAL, Smith reworked the organization’s North America sales structure by placing a heightened emphasis on TMC and corporate growth. Later, the airline expanded his leadership role to head of global sales, where he synchronized the worldwide sales plan, including Europe, Asia and Oceania, with the company’s overall long-term corporate strategic plan. He also worked with alliance partners to improve JAL’s performance and position in shared corporate contracts. In addition, Smith elevated the airline’s global visibility through his active membership and participation in industry organizations, and he often represented the carrier as a panelist or speaker at conferences and events.