Lucie Guillemette plans to retire from her position as executive vice-president of Air Canada at the end of April, marking the end of a 36-year career with the carrier.
Currently, Guillemette oversees commercial activity for the airline and its regional partners – including network planning, revenue performance, products, marketing, branding and sales.
Air Canada disclosed the news and an associated management realignment on 12 January. Following Guillmette’s departure, company executives Mark Nasr and Mark Galardo will step into the roles of executive vice-president of marketing and digital, and executive vice-president of network planning and revenue management, respectively. The new appointments will be effective 1 May.
As part of their roles, Nasr will also oversee Air Canada’s loyalty programme Aeroplan, and Galardo will manage Air Canada Vacations.
Currently, Nasr is senior vice-president of products, marketing and e-commerce, while Galardo is senior vice-president of network planning and revenue management.
Guillemette started with the airline in 1987 as a customer service and sales agent and rose through the ranks to upper management thanks to her “passion for customer service, her deep personal regard for her colleagues and her unwavering commitment to our company’s success”, says Michael Rousseau, Air Canada’s chief executive.
“It is no coincidence that Lucie’s rise through the senior management ranks paralleled the transformation of Air Canada into a leading global carrier, with our revenue doubling and our profitability growing even faster as we undertook a major international network expansion,” he adds.
Rousseau also credited Guillemette with “playing a critical role in the pandemic by implementing innovative revenue strategies that will now serve as the foundation for our future”.
The Montreal-based carrier operates a fleet of 184 aircraft, according to Cirium fleets data. Last year, the airline ordered another 15 Airbus A220-300s in a deal that brings its total orders for the Canadian-built type to 60 jets.
