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| Company Info | Executive | Board of Directors |
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Sean Durfy
President and CEO
""The airline industry is a fascinating puzzle. When you put the pieces together correctly as WestJet has, it's a beautiful picture." "Every industry has a winner. In the North American airline industry, winning is based on past performance and WestJet's financial and guest performance speaks for itself." "I like our snack mix." Sean Durfy became WestJet President in September 2006 and added Chief Executive Officer to his title in September 2007. As President and CEO, Sean is responsible for both the strategic direction of the company and the day-to-day operations of the airline, leading its over 6,000 people as they deliver exceptional guest experiences. Sean joined WestJet's Executive team in 2004 as Executive Vice-President Sales, Marketing and Airports. His work in sales and marketing increased the airline's profile and saw WestJet named one of the top three brands of the year, earning Sean the honour of Marketer of the Year. Since Sean's arrival at WestJet, the airline has grown domestic market share five per cent, expanded its presence in the transborder and international market, and increased its product offering with items such as pay-per-view in-flight movies and buy-on-board food. In 2007, WestJet will break $2 billion in gross revenue, entering the big league of airline players. Before WestJet, Sean served as President and Chief Operating Officer of ENMAX Energy Corporation and as an Officer of ENMAX Corporation, from April 1999 until December 2004. In this time, he successfully started ENMAX Energy and guided the company through the deregulation of Alberta's electricity industry, positioning it as a profit leader in the North American electricity market. Born and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Sean grew up in Atlantic Canada, graduating from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce, in Marketing and Finance. An avid runner, skier and sports enthusiast, Sean believes success comes from the proper life balance of physical health, family and career. A father of two, Sean's favourite WestJet destinations to vacation with his family include Maui and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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Fred Ring
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Projects
Fred Ring joined the Executive team in September 2002. In his role as Executive Vice-President, Corporate Projects, Fred is responsible for the Corporate Real Estate department, which provides for the space and facility needs required in every city that WestJet flies. In addition to Airport and Hangar development, building operations and space planning, Fred's primary focus is the planning and development of a Campus Plan that features a new office building located adjacent to the Calgary Hangar. This new office tower will incorporate the centralization of seven office buildings into one large campus. Fred joined WestJet in February 2001 as a front line WestJetter where he worked at the airport and call centre. He then moved into Training and Development to assist with training programs for our Customer Service Agents and Sales Super Agents prior to assuming leadership in the People Department. Before moving into his current role, Fred held the position of Executive Vice-President, People where he successfully built the People team and Training and Development team at WestJet over a four and a half year period. Originally from Saskatchewan, Fred has lived in Calgary for over 40 years. He attended the University of Calgary obtaining his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Education degrees. Prior to joining WestJet Fred spent 32 years as an educator, with accomplishments well recognized in the Alberta education community. Fred and his wife Judy are proud parents of two daughters and recently became grandparents. Fred enjoys running and long walks with his dog, which he will often refer to as his best friend. |
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Hugh Dunleavy
Executive Vice-President, Commercial Distribution
"Just because WestJet has been successful in the past is no guarantee that we will be successful in the future. This is why we work hard to adapt and evolve our business model to continue to extract a competitive advantage in the marketplace." "If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion." Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, 53, became Executive Vice-President of Commercial Distribution in September 2006. Commercial Distribution encompasses sales, distribution, cargo, charters, web, call centre, WestJet Vacations and Information Technology. Hugh and his team make certain that WestJet's seats are available across all sales channels, that the fares are always competitive in each market and that we continue to profitably grow WestJet's business year over year. Hugh's responsibility for IT means that he is also responsible for ensuring that all of our business applications and communications are implemented in a robust environment and operate at optimal levels to maintain the operational integrity of WestJet. Hugh joined WestJet in January 2005 as Vice-President, Revenue. He quickly introduced changes to both the revenue management and fleet planning strategies resulting in significant improvements to WestJet's financial performance indicators including an increase in load factor, yield and revenue per available seat mile. Hugh has been working in the airline industry for over twenty five years and has a solid reputation for delivering high quality results. Prior to joining WestJet, Hugh held senior management positions at Star Alliance, Air Canada and Lufthansa Systems. He has a PhD in Theoretical Physics with an undergraduate degree in Physics from Sheffield University in the UK. Ever the academic, Hugh has also held the position of Professor of Operations Management at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. Hugh believes that life is a journey and that we should ensure we enjoy every day we have. His favourite WestJet destinations are Ft. Lauderdale and Maui. |
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Bob Cummings Executive Vice-President, Guest Experience and Marketing
"WestJet's people driven differentiation is evident on every flight. There is no place I would be more proud to work. I feel very fortunate!" "Fundamentals drive success. We deliver a pleasurable guest experience at a reasonable price." "People and communities love WestJet. With over 100 new destinations suggested a year, and seven new aircraft in 2007, its difficult to keep up with demand." Bob Cummings, became Executive Vice-President of Guest Experience and Marketing in September, 2006. Responsible for revenue management, scheduling and network planning, marketing and communications, strategic planning, business development, cultural activation and guest experience, Bob and his team ensure that planning, pricing, scheduling, products, external and internal communications, cultural events and guest experience are all integrated to support the WestJet brand. Bob joined WestJet in March 2005 as Vice-President, Marketing and quickly mobilized his team to create "The Owners" advertising campaign. This campaign has since become the most successful brand communications platform in WestJet history. Bob's strategic insight, proven leadership and attention to detail has led to development of significant capabilities and demonstrable results in advertising, product development and management, research and guest experience. More recently, Bob has assumed leadership of and provided guidance and support to WestJet's high-performing strategic planning, pricing, revenue management, network and scheduling areas. The competencies and market-driven actions of these areas have received notable external accolades in recent quarters. Besides the results, Bob is also extremely proud of the commitment and fun loving spirit that is embodied within the current Guest Experience and Marketing team. A native of Edmonton , Alberta , Bob achieved his undergraduate degree in 1989 from the University of Victoria, followed by his MBA from Queen's University in 1992. Bob worked for over eight years in the wireless industry in Canada and was instrumental in the quick penetration of mobile phone service within Romania. In Romania, he led the building of and oversaw business development and several of the marketing functions for Mobifon (now Vodafone). WestJet's caring, friendly and appreciative brand attributes align perfectly with Bob's personal values. Bob believes in "Ohana" (family comes first). Besides belonging to the WestJetter family, he is the father of two girls. Bob enjoys nothing more than seeing excitement and joy on his daughters' faces, whether they are at Disney World or tying their shoes for the first time. Not surprisingly, Bob's favourite WestJet destinations are Orlando and Los Angeles. |
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Ken McKenzie Executive Vice-President, Operations
"I never tire of folks telling me why they love working at WestJet and I couldn't agree with them more - It's the people." It doesn't matter if you win or lose - until you lose. Ken McKenzie, 44, became Executive Vice-President, Operations in September 2006. Ken oversees WestJet Airport Operations, Flight Operations, Fleet Planning, Government Relations, Inflight and Technical Operations. Ken joined WestJet in April 2005 as Director, Regulatory Affairs and moved to the position of Vice-President, Operational Development in December 2005. In this role, Ken was instrumental in the successful negotiation of the WestJet Pilots' Agreement and his team rationalized the structure of Flight Operations and significantly enhanced its efficiency. Ken received his Bachelor of Arts in Management from the University of Manitoba and also served in the Canadian Armed Forces, including the role of Officer in Charge of the Rescue Coordination Centre (Trenton) and the Canadian Mission Control Centre. He has held positions responsible for Regulatory Affairs at Air Canada Jazz, has been Program Director for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in West Africa, as well as Chief Executive Officer of a Vancouver security service. Ken brings 25 years of experience and understanding of the operational side of airlines as well as a keen eye to the organizational requirements of his role. He holds an Airline Transport Licence, as well as his Commercial Helicopter Licence and is qualified as a pilot on WestJet's Next Generation Boeing 737s. A father of two daughters, Ken recently celebrated twenty years of marriage and daring adventure with his wife Sonia. His favourite WestJet destinations are Vancouver, Halifax and Maui. |
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Vito Culmone Executive Vice-President, Finance, CFO
"I feel quite privileged to be working for an organization that is unique in many special ways and is succeeding in an otherwise difficult industry." "I came from an industry (beer) where the margins were quite healthy. That's not necessarily the case in the airline business and we need to continue to be at our best to win." Vito Culmone, became Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President, Finance on March 1, 2007. Responsible for managing the Controllership, Treasury, Investor Relations, Legal and Corporate Services group, Vito and his team work diligently to ensure WestJet's accounts are reported accurately in a timely fashion. The Finance department also actively provides strategic business advice for WestJet, ultimately creating value for our shareholders. Vito obtained his Chartered Accountant designation while at Price Waterhouse and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto . He has worked in a number of business environments, most recently as Vice-President Commercial Finance at Molson Canada. During his 12-year career at Molson Inc., Vito worked both domestically and internationally in various senior leadership roles and has significant experience in negotiating, evaluating and leading strategic investment opportunities for the purpose of creating shareholder value. His previous roles at Molson included Vice-President, Controller and Corporate Finance, Molson Inc. (pre merger with Coors) and Vice-President and CFO of Molson USA . Vito is a firm believer in living life to its fullest and that includes finding work that you are passionate about. He is a father of two children, Michael and Emily and is looking forward to visiting the WestJet destinations of Kelowna, BC and Phoenix, AZ. |
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Ferio Pugliese 
Executive Vice-President, People "In this challenging and competitive industry we can never lose sight of the things that are fundamentally important to sustaining and growing our business for the long-term. With a focused passion we are soaring to new heights and landing on great opportunities every day - that's the spirit of WestJet." Throughout my career in human resources I have come across many organizations that talk about the importance of values and culture. At WestJet we do more than just talk about that, we LIVE IT! Our culture drives a superior guest experience that is brought to our guests consistently every day. That's because we have the right people on our bus. That's what makes me a proud WestJetter. Power to the "People", Fasten your seatbelts lets takeoff! Ferio Pugliese, 38 became WestJet's Executive Vice-President, People on June 11, 2007. Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the airline's core People AKA "human resources" management programs for its more than 6,000 employees, Ferio and his team have been diligent at defining People plans that support the strategic direction of the company as they prepare WestJet for the future. A certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Ferio holds a Master of Arts degree from Central Michigan University , a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Windsor . Ferio has worked in various senior leadership roles and has gained experience in facilitating organizational effectiveness and business transformation as well as designing and implementing effective positive employee relations, performance management and compensation programs that recognize and foster talent at all organizational levels. Prior to joining WestJet his previous roles included Vice President Human Resources at Catalyst Paper Corporation in Vancouver, Director of Human Resources Development at Windsor Casino Ltd., and Director of Human Resources Development at Casino Rama, Carnival Resorts and Casinos. With a passion for business Ferio believes in being the best you can be, which means believing in yourself and most importantly the people around you and together you will reach new heights. From Northern Ontario originally, Ferio loves the great game of hockey. An avid skier, he, his wife Pam and two children Nicholas and Nathan have been enjoying life in Western Canada for the past five years. Ferio's favourite WestJet destinations include Nassau, Southern California and of course Vancouver. |
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© WestJet. All rights reserved.
® Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and WestJet.
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