Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Executive Officer, The WestJet Group
Alexis began his role as Chief Executive Officer, WestJet in February of 2022.
Responsible for the overall leadership of the WestJet Group of Companies, Alexis harnesses the power of WestJet’s people, fleet and technology to strategically position the airline for long-term profitable success.
Prior to joining WestJet, Alexis spent 16 years at the Lufthansa Group, his last role being the CEO and CFO of Austrian Airlines where, during his three-and-a-half-year tenure, he restructured the airline and its network to compete with ultra-low-cost-carrier (ULCC) competition in Austria. In addition, Alexis was instrumental in successfully leading the company through the COVID-19 crisis. Previous roles within the Lufthansa Group included Chief Commercial Officer of Lufthansa Cargo AG, head of commercial at the airline's biggest hub in Frankfurt, and head of strategy and investment management for the Lufthansa airline.
Born in Cologne, Germany, Alexis attended the University of Bonn, where he received his Physics diploma in 1995 and later, completed his PhD at Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in 1999. Alexis spent his early career at The Boston Consulting Group, working out of their Munich and Tokyo offices, with a strong focus on clients from the aviation industry.
Alexis moved to Calgary with his wife and five kids and is excited to explore Canada across WestJet’s ever-expanding network.
Marc Parent, President & CEO, CAE
Marc Parent was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of CAE in 2009.
Mr. Parent joined CAE in 2005 as Group President, Simulation Products, responsible for the Company’s civil simulation products business as well as the design, manufacture and support of products for the Company’s civil and military training businesses. His role was expanded in 2006, when he was appointed Group President, Simulation Products and Military Training & Services. In 2008, he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all four of CAE’s business segments and new growth initiatives.
Mr. Parent has more than 35 years of experience in the aerospace industry. He started his career in 1984 with Canadair as an engineer on the Challenger and Canadair regional jet programs. Beginning in 1993, he held positions of increasing scope in aircraft product development, starting as head of the Challenger 604 program development team; in 1995, he headed the Q400 turboprop aircraft development program; and in 1998, he was promoted to Vice President, Program Management, with responsibilities covering all Bombardier aircraft development programs.
From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Parent held numerous executive positions within Bombardier Aerospace, leading a number of facilities and product lines. In 2000, he held the position of Vice President, Operations, at Bombardier’s de Havilland site in Toronto; in 2001, he was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Operations of the Toronto facility; in 2003, he held the position of Vice President and General Manager, U.S. Operations, with responsibilities encompassing Learjet facilities in Wichita and Tucson; and in 2004, he returned to Montréal as Vice President and General Manager of Challenger 300, 604, and 850/870 programs as well as the CRJ 200 Regional Aircraft product line.
Athena Varmazis, Senior Vice-President, Cards, RBC
Athena has over 26 years of cards payments experience in both consumer and B2B that spans P&L management, product development and partnerships.
Athena is currently the Senior Vice President of Consumer & Commercial Credit Cards at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). She joined RBC as VP of Global Loyalty and previous to RBC Athena spent 19 years at American Express in increasingly senior roles and receiving many leadership awards for her contribution to developing talent. She holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She is a member of the board of the Pine River Institute– Pine River Institute is a live-in treatment centre that helps adolescents struggling with addiction. She is sits on the Payments (Presto) Committee of Metrolinx Payments. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.
