Karen Sheriff joins WestJet's Board of Directors

CALGARY, Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - WestJet Airlines Ltd. (TSX:WJA) today announced the appointment of Karen Sheriff, as an independent director, to its Board of Directors. The appointment is effective immediately and will bring the total number of Board members to thirteen.

"We are pleased to welcome Karen to our Board," commented WestJet's Chair of the Board Clive Beddoe. "She will bring a wealth of business and executive experience from her technology and aviation background."

Karen Sheriff is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of Q9 Networks Inc. having joined the company in January 2015. Prior to her role at Q9, she was President and CEO of Bell Alliant from 2008 to 2014, following more than 9 years in senior leadership positions at BCE Inc. Ms. Sheriff is also a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Early on in her career, Ms. Sheriff spent over 10 years at United Airlines, in the areas of Marketing and Strategy.

Ms. Sheriff holds a master's degree in business administration, with concentrations in Marketing and Finance, from the University of Chicago. She was named one of the Canada's top 25 Women of Influence for both 2013 and 2014 by Women of Influence Inc. In 2012, she was named Woman of the Year by the Canadian Women in Communications and has been recognized as one of Atlantic Canada's Top 50 CEOs by Atlantic Business Magazine and one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women on multiple occasions.

About WestJet
We are proud to be Canada's highest-rated airline for customer service, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country's top employers. We offer scheduled service to 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our regional airline, WestJet Encore, and with partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 150 destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet's extensive network, flight schedule and remarkable guest experience, WestJet Vacations delivers affordable, flexible travel experiences with a variety of accommodation options for every guest. Members of our WestJet Rewards program earn WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more. Our members use WestJet dollars towards the purchase of WestJet flights and vacations packages on any day, at any time, to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods  ̶  even on seat sales. For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com. 

Recent recognition includes:
2015/2011/2008-2005 Canada's 10 Most-Admired Corporate Cultures (Waterstone Human Capital) 2015/2014/2013/2012 Canada's Most Attractive Employer (Randstad)
2015/2014/2013/2012 Top three brands in Canada (Canadian Business magazine)
2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt)
2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (MoneySense magazine)
2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in the Canada's Choice ranking (RewardsCanada.ca)
2014 Interbrand Canada's Best Canadian Brands (rank #20)
2014 Brands of the Year (Strategy magazine)
2014 Canada's Most Preferred Airline (Ipsos)
2014 Value Airline of the Year (Air Transport World magazine)
2014/2013/2012/2011 Highest equity score: airline, vacation package supplier brands (Harris/Decima EquiTrend Study)

Connect with WestJet on Facebook at facebook.com/westjet
Follow WestJet on Twitter at twitter.com/westjet
Subscribe to WestJet on YouTube at youtube.com/westjet
Read the WestJet blog at blog.westjet.com

SOURCE WestJet

Related Links

http://www.westjet.com