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New President/CEO for Victoria International Airport
Nov 12, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NOVEMBER 12, 2010, VICTORIA, B.C...... The Board of the Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Geoff Dickson as President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective January 1, 2011 upon the retirement of Mr. Richard Paquette who led the Authority since 1999.
As President/CEO, Mr. Dickson brings to the Victoria International Airport twenty five years of air and marine transportation experience and a unique combination of senior management, market development, operations, customer service and corporate finance expertise. Mr. Dickson will be leaving British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) where he worked for the past 12 years most recently as the corporation's Vice President of Catering and Retail Operations. At BC Ferries, Mr. Dickson's responsibilities included vessel design, commercial terminal development, franchising and customer service. The Seawest business lounges, the Tsawwassen Quay terminal development and several on-board corporate partnerships were among the initiatives that Mr. Dickson championed.
Prior to returning to Vancouver Island to work for BC Ferries, Mr. Dickson spent 12 years honing his skills in the airline industry with Pacific Western Airlines which later became Canadian Airlines. At Canadian, Mr. Dickson advanced through the organization from corporate finance onto Canadian's international marketing team where he was instrumental in the development and expansion of the airline's global network development strategy that saw a doubling of capacity into the Europe, Asia Pacific and South Pacific regions through the creation of code-sharing agreements and new market development. Mr. Dickson was born and raised on Vancouver Island, and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Business.
As President/CEO, Mr. Dickson will assume overall leadership in the strategic planning, operations and financial performance of the Victoria International Airport.
"Geoff is a seasoned professional with a strong consumer and stakeholder focus" explains Christine Stoneman, Chair of Victoria Airport Authority's Board of Directors, a community board who oversee the management, operation and development of the Victoria International Airport for the benefit of the public in the Victoria and Vancouver Island. "Richard Paquette provided extraordinary leadership over the past decade and we have seen a 50% growth in passenger activity since 2002. Geoff's management style, his familiarity with the community and his passion for the industry will allow for a seamless transition. We look forward to welcoming Geoff and to his commitment to the future growth of the Gateway to Vancouver Island - the Victoria International Airport."
The Victoria Airport Authority (Airport Code: YYJ) was created in 1997, and oversees the 9th busiest airport in Canada with over 1.5 million passengers traveling to and from the Region per year. Victoria is well served with more than 60 daily departures and convenient non-stop or one-stop service to every major Canadian city and many US destinations.
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For more information please contact:
Christine Stoneman, Chair VAA
c.stoneman@chemistryconsulting.ca
250-881-2768
