Calin Rovinescu

Călin Rovinescu CM (born September 16, 1955) is the president and chief executive officer of Canada's largest airline, Air Canada, having led the company since April 2009.

Early life and education

Rovinescu was born in Bucharest, Romania to a Jewish family. He immigrated to Canada with his parents and sister when he was five years old.^[1] In 1980, Rovinescu graduated from the University of Ottawa where he received his LL.B. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Montreal where he received his LL.L. In 1974, he received his D.E.C. from McGill University.^[2] In 2014, Rovinescu received honorary doctorate of laws degrees from each of the University of Ottawa^[3] and the University of Montreal.^[4]

Career

Before joining Air Canada, Rovinescu was the managing partner of Montreal law firm Stikeman Elliott LLP, for over 20 years practicing in the areas of corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. While a lawyer at Stikeman Elliott LLP, Rovinescu served as lead external counsel on Air Canada's privatization and public offering and continued advising the airline on significant transactions and events thereafter.^[5] He is a member of the Quebec and Ontario Bar Associations.^[6]

Rovinescu first joined Air Canada in 2000 as its executive vice president of corporate development and strategy^[2] and served as chief restructuring officer during its 2003-2004 restructuring.^[5] Between 2004 and returning to Air Canada in 2009, Rovinescu was a co-founder and principal of independent investment bank Genuity Capital Markets,^[6] which subsequently merged with Canaccord Capital to form Canaccord Genuity Group.

Additionally, Rovinescu was elected chairman of the Star Alliance chief executive board,^[7] the controlling body of Star Alliance, the world's largest global airline alliance, and served in that role from 2012 to 2016.^[2]

He is also a member of the board of governors of the International Air Transport Association,^[8] a trade association representing some 240 airlines. He served as chairman of IATA from June 2014 to June 2015.^[2]

He also serves on the board of directors of BCE Inc., Canada's largest telecom and media company ^[9] as well as the board of directors^[10] of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, an organization composed of the CEOs of Canada's largest enterprises, representing all sectors of the Canadian economy.

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine named Rovinescu Canada's best CEO of 2013.^[5] In 2016, he was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year,^[11] the country's preeminent award for chief executives, founded in 1990 to identify and recognize exemplary leadership and achievement in business.

On November 9, 2015, he was named chancellor of the University of Ottawa. In November 2016, Rovinescu received the Doctor Honoris Causa honorary title from the Politehnica University of Bucharest.^[12] as well as from Concordia University in Montreal.^[13] In May 2017, Rovinescu was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Windsor.^[14]

References