Ed Sims appointed
new President and CEO
CALGARY, March 8, 2018 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced
Gregg Saretsky, President and CEO,
has advised the time has come for him to retire from the company.
Having found his successor, he has agreed with the company that his
retirement will be effective immediately.
"For the past eight years, it's been my privilege to lead team
WestJet through a tremendous period of growth and success," said
Gregg Saretsky. "I am pleased with
the continued growth and profitability we've achieved together.
With plans well underway for the launch of Swoop and the
introduction of the 787-9 Dreamliners on the horizon, as well as
the great work WestJetters do each day, I'm confident WestJet will
continue to grow to the next chapter and beyond."
"Gregg has taken WestJet to new heights during his tenure and
the airline would not be in the strong position it is without
Gregg's business knowledge, drive and work ethic, and his focus on
low costs," said Clive Beddoe,
WestJet Board of Directors' Chair. "On behalf of the board, we
sincerely thank Gregg for all of his contributions to WestJet. We
wish him well in his retirement."
Mr. Saretsky joined WestJet in June
2009 as Vice-President, WestJet Vacations, before assuming
the role of Executive Vice-President, Operations, in October 2009. In March
2010, he assumed the role of President and CEO. Under Mr.
Saretsky's leadership, WestJet experienced its most significant
growth period: the entire fleet nearly doubled in size, WestJet
Encore was launched, the first code-share partnerships were
introduced, wide-body aircraft were introduced and service to
Europe was started, as well as the
introduction of the WestJet Rewards program, including the WestJet
RBC World Elite MasterCard, which has become the fastest-growing,
award-winning loyalty and affinity card program in the country.
"I am proud of the many great things we have accomplished
together during my time as President and CEO, and I wish WestJet
well in the next chapter of its growth and evolution," said
Gregg Saretsky.
Current Executive Vice-President Commercial, Ed Sims, will assume the role of President and
CEO beginning today. Mr. Sims has also been appointed to the Board
of Directors effective immediately.
"I am honoured by the opportunity to assume the role of
President and CEO, and believe strongly in WestJet's next global
chapter and the growth potential ahead," said Ed Sims. "In my time at WestJet, I've been
inspired by the team's ability to care from the heart while acting
like owners. WestJet has a strong challenger's spirit, and I'm
thrilled to be able to lead the team onward. I thank Gregg for his
leadership, and for setting the foundation for WestJet's global
evolution."
Mr. Sim's career spans more than 30 years in the tourism and
aviation industries, encompassing airlines and tour operators, as
well as air traffic control. He has worked in the European and
Australasian markets, holding senior commercial and general
leadership positions with Tui, Thomas
Cook, Virgin Groups and Air New Zealand where he led the
international wide-body business. Before joining WestJet as
Executive Vice-President, Commercial, in May
2017, he was CEO of Airways, New
Zealand's air navigation service provider.
About WestJet
WestJet is proud to be named Best
Airline in Canada and one of the
best Low Cost Airlines in North
America, based on authentic reviews from the travelling
public on Trip Advisor, the world's largest travel site. We are one
of very few airlines globally that does not commercially overbook.
Together with our regional airline, WestJet Encore, we offer
scheduled service to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe and to more than 175 destinations in
over 20 countries through our airline partnerships. WestJet
Vacations offers affordable, flexible vacations to more than 60
destinations and the choice of more than 800 hotels, resorts,
condos and villas. Members of the WestJet Rewards program earn
WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more. Members use
WestJet dollars towards the purchase of flights and vacations
packages to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods, and
have access to Member Exclusive fares offering deals to WestJet
destinations throughout our network and those of our partner
airlines.
WestJet is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
under the symbol WJA. For more information about everything
WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
Recent recognition includes:
2017
Five-Star Airline in the Low-Cost Category (The Airline Passenger
Experience Association)
2017/2016 Canada's Most Trusted
Airline (Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria)
2017 Best Airline in Canada and
Travellers' Choice Winner Mid-Sized and Low Cost Airlines –
North America (TripAdvisor
Travelers' Choice awards for Airlines)
2016 Canada's most reputable
company for Corporate Social Responsibility (Reputation
Institute)
2016/2015/2014/2013/2012 Ranked top three for Canadian Brands
(Canadian Business Magazine)
2016/2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in
Canada (MoneySense magazine)
2015/2011/2010/2008/2007/2006/2005 Canada's Most Admired Corporate Culture
(Waterstone Human Capital)
2015 Best Employers in Canada
(Aon Hewitt)
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SOURCE WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership