CALGARY — The WestJet Group has appointed Jacqui McGillivray as its new Executive Vice-President and Chief People Officer, effective Oct. 7, 2024.

Bringing with her more than 30 years of experience, McGillivray will take over the reins from Angela Avery, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Avery will stay on in an advisory role to assist with the transition.

“Jacqui brings a wealth of HR and organizational change experience, along with a notable track record of leading results-oriented, multi-disciplinary, and culturally strong teams in unlocking value and sustaining growth,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer. “We are thrilled to welcome Jacqui at this vital time as we look to build on the momentum of our growth strategy. She will be instrumental in further fostering and developing the people and performance centric culture at WestJet. We are deeply appreciative to Angela, who led WestJet through a pivotal recovery period and has established a strong foundation for us to write the next chapter, we wish her all the best in retirement.”

In her most recent role as Executive Vice-President, Chief People and Social Impact Officer at Element Fleet Management, McGillivray was instrumental in the organization achieving top quartile employee engagement and client retention, while developing a performance culture that placed the company in the top 5% within the TSX Composite index.

Her prior roles include: Executive Vice-President, Safety and Organization Effectiveness at Cenovus Energy, Head of Global Human Resources at Talisman Energy, and Vice-President, HR, Brand & Marketing for the Global Wealth Management division of RBC Royal Bank.

“As a Calgary resident for the past 14 years, I have been closely following WestJet’s journey and recent strategic shift; I am incredibly impressed by the discipline and resolve of the leadership team to solidify WestJet’s longstanding reputation as the home carrier of the West and the leading Canadian value and leisure airline, in service of affordable air travel for Canadians,” said  McGillivray. “I am thrilled to join this Canadian aviation success story and to play a part in a bright and sustainable future for our guests, our people and the communities we serve.”