Rupert Duchesne

President and Chief Executive Officer, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Rupert Duchesne is President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Duchesne spent twelve years in strategy and investment consulting around the world, including owning his own firm which was sold to Mercer Management Consulting in 1994.  From 1996, he served in various senior officer positions at Air Canada.  He was appointed to the position of President and CEO of Aeroplan in August 2000 and led the company’s IPO in 2005. Mr. Duchesne holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor Honours degree in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds, both in England. He is Vice President of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Board of Trustees, chairs the Photography Committee and sits on the Finance and Development Committees.  He is Chair of the NeuroScience Canada Partnership and the NeuroScience Canada Foundation.  He is also a member of the Board of Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII).  He was appointed in late 2008 to the Board of Directors of Greenwood College School, and also serves on the Boards of the Canadian Business for the Arts, the Luminato Festival; as well as the Université de Montréal’s Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM).  He was previously a member of the Board of Directors of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. up to its sale to CanWest Communications.

David Adams

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

David Adams was previously appointed Executive Vice President, Finance and CFO of Aeroplan in July 2007.

Upon completion of the reorganization of Aeroplan Income Fund to Groupe Aeroplan Inc. on June 25, 2008 he was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the company. David is responsible for the overall financial strategic direction, control, reporting and financial monitoring of Groupe Aeroplan Inc.’s operations. He also oversees the organization’s access and engagement with global capital markets.
Before joining Aeroplan, David was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Photowatt Technologies Inc. Prior to Photowatt, David was Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer of SR Telecom Inc. David previously held a variety of executive finance positions at CAE Inc. a global market leader in the production of flight simulators and control systems. Prior to these roles, David held a number of progressively senior roles with the Bank of Nova Scotia and Clarkson Gordon (Ernst & Young).
David is a CA and holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance Degree from the University of Toronto and has completed the Stanford Executive Program .

Jeff Balagna

President and Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Marketing
Executive Vice President, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Jeff Balagna is President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Marketing and Executive Vice President, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

He has served as an Executive Vice President of Carlson and is a member of the Carlson Executive Committee.
With more than 27 years of experience, Jeff is a seasoned executive with broad marketing and general management expertise. His career spans multiple industries and includes stints at prominent brands including GE, Ford and Medtronic. Before joining Carlson, Mr. Balagna served as Chief Administrative Officer at Medtronic, the world’s largest medical device company for four and a half years, where he managed global and quality operations, oversaw the creation of a shared services organization, and served as the companies first Chief Information Officer. Prior to Medtronic, he was with GE as General Manager-Operations of its USD 4 billion Medical Systems Americas division and directed that group to greater than 20 percent per year record growth. He has also held executive roles at Ford Motor Company, and was the founder and CEO of DataComm, Inc.
Additionally, he is a Board member of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, and Carlson Marketing Worldwide and currently serves as a board and audit committee member of Tennant Company, Inc., an Executive in Residence at The Carlson School of Management, and is a past board member of Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Jeff holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Oakland University, in Rochester, MI. He is also a graduate of the GE Executive Development program at Crotonville in Ossining, NY, and is a certified master black belt in Six Sigma and Lean operations.

Liz Graham

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Liz Graham was appointed Chief Operations Officer, Aeroplan in June 2007.

Upon completion of the reorganization of Aeroplan Income Fund to Groupe Aeroplan Inc. on June 25, 2008, she was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. In her current role, Liz is responsible for delivering the business-building capabilities for Groupe Aeroplan Inc. through the management of a diverse set of critical commercial services driving alignment and expense management, while providing oversight of the company’s overall cost structure.
Liz oversees the business services provided to the entire enterprise through shared technology infrastructure management, oversight of all major projects and delivery of business initiatives, strategic procurement, rewards management and call centre operations.
Liz joined Aeroplan in November 2000 as Vice President, Customer Service. Prior to Aeroplan, Liz spent 27 years with Air Canada in increasingly complex and senior operational roles, including General Manager – Call Centres & Aeroplan; Senior Director – Customer Service Support; Senior Director – Business Development Alliances & Regionals; General Manager – Customer Service Europe. In 1998, Liz was appointed Vice President, Airports where she was responsible for all airport and cargo operations in North America.

Mark Hounsell

Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Mark Hounsell was appointed Vice President & General Counsel of Aeroplan in October 2006 and Corporate Secretary in November 2006.

Upon completion of the reorganization of Aeroplan Income Fund to Groupe Aeroplan Inc. on June 25, 2008, he was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of the company. He has overall responsibility for the development and management of the legal framework for Groupe Aeroplan Inc.'s various businesses as well as leadership of the enterprise's corporate secretariat and governance portfolios.
Prior to joining Aeroplan, from 1997 to 2006, Mark held various senior positions within the BCE group of companies, most recently as Assistant General Counsel for Bell Canada. In this role, Mark was responsible for managing Bell's legal commercial group to service the needs of Bell's Quebec enterprise operations. Mark's previous work with BCE concentrated on M&A, financing initiatives and corporate governance, as well as various counsel positions at Bell Canada International Inc., including the position of Vice-President, Law and Corporate Secretary.
After having received his degree in law at the Université de Montréal in 1991 and having been called to the Quebec Bar in 1992, Mark worked in private practice as a corporate commercial lawyer specializing in securities prior to moving in-house. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.

David Johnston

President and Chief Executive Officer, Groupe Aeroplan-Europe
Executive Vice President, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

David Johnston was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, Groupe Aeroplan Europe and Executive Vice President in January 2010.

In his role as President and CEO for Groupe Aeroplan Europe, David has full responsibility for driving the expansion of Groupe Aeroplan’s businesses in Europe including Nectar in the UK and the new coalition loyalty program in Italy. David is also responsible for Rewards Management Middle East, the operator of the Air Miles program in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. In addition, David is responsible for LMG Insight & Communication, a customer-driven insight and data analytics business offering worldwide services to retailers and their suppliers as well as the for the expansion of this business worldwide. David is also a member of the Groupe Aeroplan Executive team responsible for developing and executing Groupe Aeroplan’s global strategies towards its vision of becoming the global leader in loyalty management.
David joined Groupe Aeroplan from PepsiCo where he spent 13 years in Marketing and General Management. Most recently he ran PepsiCo’s Quaker/Tropicana Business Unit in the UK, driving significant share and profit growth across the portfolio. Prior to this role David has had extensive global experience in PepsiCo in Europe, Latin America and in PepsiCo’s global headquarters in Purchase, New York.
David holds an Honours Degree in Business from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom.

Melissa Sonberg

Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Melissa Sonberg previously held the position of Vice President, Corporate Services, Aeroplan.

Upon completion of the reorganization of Aeroplan Income Fund to Groupe Aeroplan Inc. on June 25, 2008, she was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Services for the company. Melissa is responsible for the corporate affairs portfolio, overseeing all aspects of Groupe Aeroplan Inc.'s human resources, corporate communications, and corporate social responsibility programs.
Melissa has hands on experience in the private and public sectors. She has previously held a number of senior management positions at Air Canada, including Director of Organizational Learning and Director – Customer Service Communication, Employee Involvement and Training. Melissa has also had key leadership roles in Quebec’s health and social services sector. Melissa's expertise in her field has been noted in the Who's Who of Canadian Business, the Who's Who of Canadian Women, the Who's Who of Canada, as well as Women in the Lead, the directory of qualified Canadian Women for Board Appointment.
Melissa holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from McGill University and a Master's of Administration from the University of Ottawa. She currently guest lectures at McGill University, and other institutions. Melissa also offers her expertise through involvement and Board membership of various organizations such as The Women's Y and The Royal Victoria Hospital Foundation.

Vince Timpano

President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeroplan Canada and Executive Vice President, Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Vince Timpano joined Groupe Aeroplan Inc. with extensive experience leading large enterprise operations.

In his role as President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeroplan Canada and Executive Vice President Groupe Aeroplan Inc., Vince has full accountability for driving the Canadian business of Groupe Aeroplan Inc. forward. Vince is also actively engaged in developing and realizing the long-term strategic growth of Groupe Aeroplan Inc. overall, as it pursues its vision to be the global leader in loyalty management.
Vince most recently served as President, Coca-Cola Ltd. in Canada where he led the organization in the development and expansion of Canada’s leading non-alcoholic beverage portfolio. Prior to holding that position, Vince served as President and CEO for The Minute Maid Company Canada Inc., an operating unit of The Coca-Cola Company. In this role, Vince successfully oversaw all activities associated with the company’s juice and juice drinks business. In addition to his broad general management experience, Vince has a proven background in creating high value customer partnerships and stewarding globally and nationally recognized leading brands.
Vince is an active community leader where he has held various volunteer roles. Vince currently serves with the United Way, Toronto as member of the Board of Trustees and the Administration and Audit Committee. Vince is also the past Chair and former member of the board of directors of The Grocery Foundation.
Vince holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.