PEOPLE : Rentschler New CEO of Northwest Airlines

In another move to give Northwest Airlines consumer-oriented leadership from outside the industry, the company Tuesday named Frederick B. Rentschler president and chief executive.

Rentschler, president and chief executive at food giant Beatrice Co., will join Northwest Chairman Alfred A. Checchi and three other airline novices in top posts at the nation’s fourth-largest carrier.

“Hopefully, one of the strengths that we will bring is that we will cross-fertilize the company with the expertise derived from many industries, and we feel that that will be our strength, ultimately,” Checchi said.

Rentschler, 50, replaces president Frederic Malek, a co-owner who will serve as vice chairman.

Checchi, Malek and Gary Wilson, all former Marriott Corp. executives, took over Northwest a year ago in a $3.65-billion buyout. Since then, eight of the top 11 posts at Northwest have been filled by Checchi, members of the buyout group or outsiders hired by Checchi.

Three outsiders had no airline management experience, including chief financial officer John Dasburg, another former Marriott executive.

Checchi said Rentschler was primarily hired for his “strong consumer marketing experience” in an attempt to improve Northwest’s poor service image.