Employee profiles

Cole Keitamo was born and raised approximately 100 kilometres from the north Arctic Circle, in Finland. “Where I come from, there are reindeer, daylight disappears in winter and you get to experience midnight sun during the summer,” he notes. Not very comparable to Vancouver, his current residence, except for the cooler temperatures in southern Finland.

Cole first came to Canada 14 years ago. He had previously lived in Indonesia for two years and in South Africa for six months. He didn’t know much about Canada when he moved, but decided to make the move when in the country visiting friends.

Cole became a member of the Transat team in March 1999, when he joined Transat Tours Canada’s subsidiary in Vancouver. He now works as Group Supervisor. His job consists of two things: managing people and maximizing revenues from bookings.

Before joining Transat Tours Canada, Cole worked in hotel management. He saw a posting for a job at Transat Tours Canada and decided to give it a try. He began in a call centre and has worked his way up ever since. “Everywhere I work, I try to learn as much as I can. I think it helps me understand people.”

What makes Cole’s job so much fun? “What I like the most about working at Transat is that it is always changing. It is a fast-paced environment and it is challenging because you have to stay on top of things. But what makes it so much fun is the people I work with.”

On a more personal level, Cole has a few hobbies. “I try to stay healthy. There are a lot of mountains here so when I can I try to go hiking.’’

His favourite vacation destination? “If it’s a long one, say two or three weeks, I’d say Bali. If it is a short one, Cancun.”