Transat is us

Travelling: this is Samantha’s passion. She has explored Thailand, Australia, Morocco, Croatia, Turkey and most European countries.

In fact, a vacation to Europe was a deciding factor in Samantha’s career path. Born and raised in South Africa, Samantha began her career in the IT industry. She travelled to London in 2003 and fell in love with the city, eventually joining the Canadian Affair team in 2007. Samantha is now the company’s Finance Manager, a job she enjoys: “It’s challenging and keeps me busy all the time.”

The aspect of her job that Samantha enjoys the most is the fact that it is “always changing…you can anticipate something, but in the end, a completely different thing happens.”

In addition to working full-time, Samantha is also attending school part-time to earn her ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) accreditation, “so I can become even better at work!”

On her last vacation, Samantha visited Thailand for 10 days, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Her next destination? Kenya. “I like to discover new places,” she says.

Samantha’s other interests include movies. “I really like action movies, although I think I’d have to say Shawshank Redemption is my favourite film,” she says, adding that she also enjoys listening to indie music. “Right now, I really enjoy Florence and the Machine.”

And how does Samantha feel about working at Canadian Affair? “I love the challenges that I face on a day-to-day basis and seeing the amazing results that we achieve year over year.”

Stéphane Auclair earned his pilot’s licence at age 16, almost at the same time as his driver’s licence. That’s how passionate he is about flying. At the time, his dream was to become an airline pilot, but the training costs slowed his progress.

“There is no one way to become a professional pilot. Some people earn their licence after attending flying school for a year, others do so in the army and some go to the Cégep de Chicoutimi (Quebec). I started by taking a mechanic’s course at École nationale d’aérotechnique (national institute of aeronautics) and, after working on the ground for seven years as a technician, I was lucky to be hired as a flight engineer on one of Air Transat’s Lockheed L1011 aircraft.”

Even while working as a technician, he did not lose sight of his dream. During his free time, he took theory and flying courses, accumulated hundreds of flying hours with individuals, fire patrols, sky-diving schools, etc. At age 32, he finally found himself at the helm of a Lockheed 1011, as a co-pilot. Sheer bliss!

For the past three years, he has been captain on an Air Transat Airbus A310. Has his work changed? “Not really. In the cockpit, the captain and co-pilot do the same tasks. I’m often in charge of the controls one way and the other person takes over on the return flight. Only the responsibilities change. In the event of an incident, I have the last word.”

Even after more than 14,000 hours of flying time – in other words approximately 240 flights a year – Stéphane is still driven by the same passion. “Travelling the world, discovering new destinations…that’s fascinating. And there’s no routine. My schedule changes from one month to the next. I never know where I will be going, when or with whom I will be working.” The only downside, however it is difficult to make long-term plans with family and friends! “I never know when I will be on duty…”

From flight attendant with Air Transat to Training Manager at Transat Tours Canada: Julie Bilodeau’s career path is a good illustration of the many possibilities that the company offers. “There are lots of great opportunities for advancement. The key is to not be afraid to roll up your sleeves and show people what you’re capable of,” she advises.

Julie’s enthusiasm and determination are key to her success. After her stint at Air Transat, joined Transat Tours Canada as a cruise reservations agent. At the time, cruise travel was booming, and Julie helped train new employees. In one year, she taught 13 separate sessions of four weeks each! “I discovered that I really enjoyed teaching, so I decided to continue down that road,” she says.

Two years later, she was asked to develop the training plan for reservations agents. “I knew the cruise market like the back of my hand, but I’d never worked with sun destination and Europe products. I was a bit hesitant about moving outside my comfort zone, but it has turned out to have been the best decision I’ve ever made. I was fortunate to have great support from my supervisors, who taught me a lot.”

Now, in her role as Training Manager for Transat Tours Canada’s various departments, Julie plans operations and plays a train-the-trainer role, helping others plan their course content. With new systems being implemented and new products being created, the needs are changing all the time.

“There’s no time for things to get monotonous! And what I like even more is that we really work as a team.”

Teresa Bortoluzzi is a travel consultant at Marlin Travel. The minute Teresa picks up the phone, you can’t help but feel comfortable. She is at once calm, enthusiastic and positive.

Teresa began working at Transat in 2009 and has already secured her first wedding group, which has close to 70 passengers – one of the largest groups booked in the history of her office.

Teresa studied to become a travel consultant at Robertson College in Winnipeg. She always knew she wanted to work in the travel industry. “Geography has always been one of my assets,” she says. “Even if I’m not at work, I love talking about it.”

She also likes to help people. “I’ve always wanted to travel to Africa and do volunteer work,” she said. When it comes to her personal travel aspirations, “I would love to go to exotic places like Egypt and Asia. They’re on my bucket list.’’

Teresa says she has the ideal work environment. “It’s like my second family, and I’m the little sister. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”

What makes her job so enjoyable – besides her co-workers – is the fact that it changes every day, and she has the opportunity to talk travel with people. “I’m a social butterfly. I LOVE talking to people,” she enthuses.

On a more personal level, Teresa’s hobbies include reading (she once read 10 books in one weekend!), walking, catching up on world issues and geography and, of course, “enjoying life.” 

Most people would agree that Susan Calcada has led a fortunate life. She started her career working in the Caribbean for major Canadian tour operator. That led to six years of living and working in such exotic locales as Cuba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Ready for a new challenge, Susan decided to return to her native Toronto. She had joined the team at World of Vacations (Canadian Holidays) in 1993 while in the Caribbean and in 1996 when she returned home, Transat bought a 35% stake in the company.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Now a Training Specialist in products and systems, Susan is part of the Transat Tours Canada team that develops and delivers training programs for the company’s staff and partners, with particular expertise in product and webinar tutorials.  “I love watching people grow and develop,” she says. “There is also a lot of variety. One day, we could be training staff about a topic that’s very technical, and the next day, we could be tackling something that’s more emotional, like the allure of a particular vacation destination. It’s very rewarding, and there’s never a dull moment.”

Variety is also the spice of Susan’s life outside of the office. She helps prepare the next generation of tourism industry employees by teaching a course in Destination Representation and Tour Escorting at Toronto’s Humber College. A practitioner of reiki, a Japanese form of alternative medicine, she is fascinated by spiritual and natural healing techniques.

When it’s time to have fun, Susan enjoys watching movies, preferably comedies (because “life has enough drama”) and reading self-development books. She also takes to the dance floor every now and again to indulge her love of salsa, which she developed while living in the Caribbean.

And speaking of the Caribbean – after spending so many years living abroad, Susan still enjoys travelling there and elsewhere. Other favourite travel destinations include Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Thailand and, closer to home, her summer cottage in Ontario’s Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay.

After she completed her studies and was called to the bar in the late 1990s, Agnieszka spent two years with the Montreal law firm Bélanger Sauvé. She then shifted gears in June 2000 and went to work in the tourism industry, joining the Transat team as a legal counsel. She was promoted to a Director position in the Legal Affairs department in September 2005, and then became Senior Director in July 2010. “I didn’t think I’d stay with the same company for so long. But the pride and sense of belonging I feel here count for a lot in my motivation,” she says.

Agnieszka made that career shift a decade ago because she wanted to be involved in the business end of law practice. “In a firm, you aren’t as close to the client. Plus, being at Transat allows me to learn a lot about the travel industry, which is something I’m passionate about,” she enthuses.

Travel, you see, has been part of Agnieszka’s life since a very early age. Born in Poland, she moved with her family to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) when she was just four. Eight years later, the family immigrated to Canada. Besides her mother tongue, French and English, this citizen of the world is also fluent in Spanish—a definite plus when it comes to reviewing contracts written in that language, spoken in many countries of the Caribbean, where Transat does a great deal of business.

In her current role, Agnieszka now oversees the legal affairs of both Air Transat and Handlex (which provides ground handling services), while continuing to handle air transportation matters for Transat Tours Canada. She also sits on the Air Transat Executive Committee and is a member of the carrier’s crisis-management unit. Lastly, she manages the legal aspects of several of the company’s major contracts.

All that work brings its share of challenges. “Working with several different departments means you’re constantly fielding requests left, right and centre—most of the time, urgent ones. Besides thoroughness, adaptability and versatility, it requires really good time-management skills. It takes nerves of steel and superior stress resistance,” she says. It’s a good bet that her thrice-weekly hot yoga sessions are a big help!

Lea Coubena works in the Far East Sales division of Tourgreece, an Athens-based incoming tour operator acquired by Transat in 2001. She has the enviable job of promoting the culture, history and beauty of Greece to potential customers in China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The job involves regular travel to Asia and the opportunity to learn about other cultures, and Lea is taking advantage of the opportunity to grow her skill set.

“Developing Transat's business in the Far East means working in sales, which is a new challenge for me," she says. “I have worked in many other divisions of the travel industry – administration, reservations, transfers, as an agent in airports – but I find that sales has a unique mentality. I am learning a lot.”

Lea has worked in the tourism industry virtually her entire career, joining Tourgreece straight out of college in 1980. Even after close to 30 years with the company, she finds that every day is a new adventure. “Working in tourism is not a routine. Every day, we deal with something different," she says. “Travel has been my first and only job. When you work in tourism, it’s hard to think of doing anything else, because you just love it so much!”

Travel is also something that Lea enjoys outside of the office. During the summer, she can often be found exploring the famous Greek Islands (of which there are almost 2,000!) and visiting places like Italy and Egypt, where she can both relax and take in the exciting sights and sounds of a different culture. India and Mexico are at the top of the list of the places she would like to discover next.

Lea’s other hobbies include reading, music (especially Greek tunes and rock ’n’ roll from the 1960s), photography and jewelry-making using small stones and other materials from local markets.

And her favourite film? None other than Mamma Mia!,  that joyful celebration of life in Greece.

Mickael Dufour-Turgeon, a member of the Handlex team, a Transat A.T. Inc. subsidiary, since 2007, is a Ramp Trainer and Supervisor at Montréal–Trudeau airport.

Mickael’s responsibilities are varied. He trains both new and returning staff, and he also manages the files of the various employees.

Handlex is not Mickael’s first job, but the company is his first employer. He previously owned a small Internet café. He applied for his job at Transat after he attended a job fair. He is pleased with his decision: “It is a very rewarding job. I have to make sure that people are trained and able to do their work properly.’’

Mickael enjoys being part of Transat. “The teamwork aspect of my job is very important – we absolutely have to work together. Plus, we do not always work in a closed office. We have three work environments: the classroom, the runway and the office.’’

On a more personal level, Mickael’s hobbies include genealogy, video games and outdoor activities. “I do a bit of research on my ancestors. I’d like to know where I come from.’’ He also enjoys reading and listening to music, including Les Cowboys fringants and Mes Aïeux, two popular Québécois groups.

His favourite vacation destination? “I don’t have a particular one in mind, but any place with an old church, a lighthouse or something with historical significance is great. There are a lot of them in Mexico. I like historic places.”

Gillian Gervais was inspired to enter the tourism industry by her own experience as a 19-year-old traveller. “I was backpacking in Australia, and I walked into a travel agency asking for help with a ticket and plans to travel to another part of the country, and the travel agent was amazing,” she says. “I was just like, ‘Wow, this could be something I could do!’”

The experience proved to be a turning point. Upon her return to Canada, she enrolled in the tourism program at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. She was hired right out of school by Marlin Travel in Sudbury and has been working for Transat for the past 10 years.

Now Gillian aspires every day to be like that Australian travel agent. “This person was just so helpful and found the best way for me to see as much as I could in the little bit of time and with the little bit of money I had,” she says. “I just thought about the way this person dealt with me – I love being able to do that for other people who are in the same situation. I take care of my clients and I love my job. I like helping clients plan their dream vacation.”

She has also continued to travel extensively since. As a self-professed foodie, she says her top destinations are Italy and Argentina. Of course, Gillian also brings her love of food home in Toronto. She says, “I’m always going to the St. Lawrence Market with my husband to get some ingredients, whip up an amazing pasta, try a new wine, have some friends over… We have a karaoke machine, so that's a lot of fun.”

Her favourite tune to belt out is “Hot Child in the City,” she says. “I'll sing with anybody - we have two microphones, so someone picks a song and then I'm right in there singing with them.”

If there is one piece of advice that Kamel would give to new employees in the IT department of a large company, it would be to take yoga classes! “It takes a very calm person to find fast and efficient solutions to the technical problems that may arise. We have to be on the alert to answer calls – even during the night, so we have to be extremely flexible and have a high tolerance for stress.”

His work is not limited to putting out fires. His main responsibility is to ensure that all systems are operational and working efficiently. This involves upgrading them to facilitate the work of employees, primarily by automating certain tasks. He also supervises a team of six people. “As Transat France is not a very large organization, we all have a lot of freedom and are able to do a little of everything.”

The supervisory role, which sometimes takes him away from his keyboard, has enabled him to develop his personnel management skills. “It’s very gratifying. In my opinion, the best way to train employees is to teach them a work method, rather than give them complete answers, and guide them to find the solutions themselves.”

Naturally, this ability comes with experience. Kamel started his working life as an intern in a medical device distribution company while also studying industrial informatics at university. He has been working at Transat for 10 years; he started with Look Voyages and then joined Transat France when the French business units merged their resources.

“Bringing everyone together was a major change, but a very positive one,” he says. The atmosphere is truly pleasant. And we don’t miss an opportunity to have fun! Even the IT department meetings, which are organized each month by two employees selected randomly, are generally very entertaining!”

When Joe Hernandez came to Canada for the first time in 1985, he had been told the country was as cold as the North Pole. “I had left El Salvador because of political turmoil, and I didn’t know anything about Canada,’’ he says. “When I got off the plane in Toronto, they gave me a very big coat, and I looked like an Inuk! Then, I boarded another plane for Vancouver. I was so hot!”

He was surprised by the climate of his new home: “They had told me that Toronto was colder than Vancouver and that it doesn’t snow that much in Vancouver… however, by 3 a.m., I heard noise in the street… people were shovelling snow! That was my first contact with it.” Joe became a member of the Transat team in 2006. He had been in the travel business since 1986: “I’ve been around for quite some time,” he says he with a smile.

Joe serves as Performance Management Manager, a job that requires him to multitask. “I manage worker time and attendance, training staff for various airport positions. I also conduct health and safety classes.” What he likes the most about his job are the people he works with: “People make it interesting,” he enthuses. He also enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his job. “I also have to coach people. I like to do it with analogies. It’s fun, and helps them learn better.”

He continues: “I am very honest. I believe in people. I give them breaks. To be successful, one has to understand others.” In fact, Joe prides himself on his sense of humour:  “I like to make people laugh. When there is music on, I’ll dance and try to sing the song… even if I don’t know the lyrics! My friends laugh about it.”

On a more personal level, Joe used to write short stories and post them on a Spanish website, a hobby he hopes to resume following his retirement. His favourite hobby? “I like playing golf with the in-laws but my biggest hobby now is my 20-month-old baby!’’

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.”

Happiness. That one word sums up Sébastien Le Caro’s personal and professional objectives. “I want to be happy, spend time with my family and friends and enjoy my work.” And it seems he is able to live by this philosophy at Vacances Transat (France), which also allows him to indulge in his passion for travel.

After doing his military service in Djibouti – his first opportunity to travel – followed by an eight-month training course in tourism offered by the Association pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes (association for adult education) and two years working with groups in a travel agency, he joined Vacances Transat (France), where he discovered another facet of the industry.

“The volume is much higher and inventory management is a vital criterion in the sales process. What’s more, competition among the tour operators is fierce. The groups that I serve via the French travel agencies are primarily made up of business committees seeking to offer their employees travel benefits…so they’re always looking for the lowest price.”

He is very proud of the fact that he manages to achieve his objectives, in spite of the competition. In 2009, fully 2,800 tourists purchased his products and this figure rose to approximately 4,000 in 2010. The key to his success: having good service providers and gaining the trust of his customers. His recent trips to Canada, Cuba and Kenya have enabled him to offer trips that meet the real needs of his customers. For example, he made a change to the plans of one group that improved their safari experience in Kenya. “It’s fantastic to be able to use my experience to benefit others.”

Sébastien seems really happy. “I like change, so I would never have thought I’d stay in one company for more than two years. But here I am, almost seven years later, still working for Vacances Transat! And I can see other opportunities to grow in this business. I’m even thinking of going to work abroad.”

Snorkelling, cruising the Atlantic on a catamaran and visiting the remnants of an ancient civilization are dream activities for many vacationers, but for Marc Lemay, they’re all in a day’s work.

General Manager of Trafic Tours, which offers excursions and other destination services to vacationers in the greater region of Puerto Vallarta, as well as in Cancun and in the Maya Riviera in Mexico. He oversees an organization responsible for providing ground transportation and transfers to travellers with Transat and other companies. Trafic also provides a variety of guided excursions to help visitors discover the wonders the region has to offer.

Cancun is a long way from the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where Marc started his tourism industry career in 1989 as a hotel employee in the scenic region of Orford. After working his way up from busboy to hotel manager, he accepted a general manager position at the prestigious Château les Beaulne spa in the province’s Outaouais region.

Marc’s move to Transat came in 1997 after a visit with friends employed by the company. “I was in the right place at the right time,” he says. “My friends were working as destination representatives for Transat, and told me that the company was busy and looking for new people. After so many years in the hotel business, it felt like the right time to make a move.”

Since starting as a destination representative with Transat Holidays, Marc has had held several different positions with the company. He has been posted in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cuba, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Now back in Cancun, Marc enjoys living and working in such an exciting part of the country. He also enjoys the variety of his work. “Every day is different,” he says. “One day can be relatively slow, with everything going smoothly, and the next – especially if it’s high season – you’ll have to deal with various issues. That being said, there is a wonderful atmosphere at our office, and we are motivated and happy to be there every day.”

Although living in Mexico can have its challenges, Marc makes the most of it. His hobbies include playing on to Cancun’s growing number of golf courses and enjoying Mexico’s up-and-coming film industry.

When it’s time to travel, Marc often returns to Canada to visit family and friends. He also has been known to cross the Atlantic to visit the countryside of France, England, Spain and Morocco.

Jacques Marchand joined Transat in 2006, after eight years with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The way this expert in business development sees it, Transat offers the best of both worlds: “It’s an international-scale company that’s looking to expand its operations, but it has hung onto that entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes small businesses. At Transat, taking risks is rewarded.”

In an industry in the midst of change, often buffeted by economic fluctuations as well as the vagaries of nature, risk is omnipresent. “These difficult conditions, however, often mean opportunities for Transat,” says Jacques, who is constantly on the lookout for potential acquisitions and development projects that can help the company achieve the strategic objectives that it sets every three years. For example, it was Jacques who orchestrated the launch of our Mexico-based business unit, Eleva Travel.

“To stay competitive in the tourism game, it’s not enough to build on what a company is already doing: you have to lead that company to diversify, and move into the niches that will matter in the future,” he observes. To that end, Jacques travels often to check out promising companies, using his negotiating skills to convince them to join Transat. “Transat always seeks to retain a company’s existing human resources, because we know that the value of a tourism company resides above all in the individuals who make it up.”

To close deals, Jacques calls upon resources from the various Transat departments. His teams comprise between five and 15 people, and may work for anywhere from three to six months on a project in addition to accomplishing their usual tasks. “It isn’t always easy to manage things, but I’m lucky in that I get to know new people, which gives me a better grasp of the needs and issues of the various Transat business units. This in turn gives me a good sense of the big picture, and that’s priceless.”

Olivia Medeiros decided to go into tourism by chance. “It looked interesting, even though my teachers tried to dissuade me by telling me I wouldn’t get to travel.” She went on to register for a Brevet de technicien supérieur (BTS, or advanced vocational diploma) in tourism, which was a two-year course. “I have never regretted my decision. There’s so much to do in this industry!”

Her career path can best be described as diverse. She started in the Commercial department at Vacances Transat (France) and then moved to the Online Travel Agency Production department. In 2006, she decided to switch continents and moved to Montreal. She found a job working in the Sales department of Jonview Canada, Transat’s incoming tour operator that offers tourism services in Canada to partners abroad. In a quest for variety, she held many positions before being appointed Brochures Co-ordinator. Her client: Vacances Transat (France). What a small world!

In conjunction with the Manager, Products, in France and Jonview Canada buyers, she selects products that are best suited to French customers. “The biggest challenge is understanding the demands accurately and responding appropriately.” She communicates regularly with the Manager, Products, in order to pinpoint the interests of French tourists and to test her ideas. Her next step is to see to it that the cost of the packages, tours or à la carte programs are set; then she prepares the product sheets that Vacances Transat (France) will use to produce its brochures.

“Every time I present a new product, I wonder if it will work. It’s stressful, but also very stimulating.” And what about the travel? Were her professors right? “It’s true, I don’t travel very much for work but Transat gives us many wonderful opportunities to go away on holiday.” This goes to show that there are some lucky coincidences.

Cheryl Nowosad remembers her first vacation – an exotic escape to Barbados at age 19 – like it was yesterday. For a girl who grew up in rural Meaford, Ontario, during a time when travel was primarily reserved for the wealthy, the thrill of boarding an airplane for the first time was unforgettable.

Travel is what Cheryl lives and breathes every day as one of five Supervisors in Transat Tours Canada’s Toronto YYZ Customer Care Centre. She and her team of almost 100 are responsible for helping support Transat customers on a daily basis, and, according to Cheryl, “ensuring our customer expectations are met by upholding the company brand and by minimizing our call escalations through effective coaching and management.” Occasionally, this can mean helping customers cope with highly unusual circumstances, as was the case in spring 2010 when she and her team helped Transat travellers stranded around the globe by flight cancellations caused by volcanic ash. It was the first challenge on such a scale that she had encountered during her 23 years with the company, and she is proud of the fact that the quality of her team’s response earned it recognition from company management.

Excitement aside, what Cheryl enjoys most about Transat are its people, and the opportunities the company gives them to develop. She praises the company’s “open-door policies, learning and development initiatives, including the Transat training program, and the countless other benefits available to Transat employees.”

Outside of work, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her husband, Randy, and two children. She lists her favourite hobbies as hosting and attending dinner parties with her many long-time friends, along with organizing her numerous photos in albums, listening to music of all kinds while reading and enjoying an occasional glass of red wine.

And, since that first trip to Barbados so many years ago, Cheryl has gone on to discover most of the Caribbean, plus many parts of Europe and Asia. Her favourite vacation destination? Greece, where she and Randy spent their 25th wedding anniversary, and where she would return “in a heartbeat.” Next stop? Portugal and Italy again!

For many years, Sylviane Riblier’s work has taken her to sunny holiday destinations. As a representative for the Lookéa resort clubs, she has travelled from club to club, primarily in Crete, where she was involved with the opening of two establishments.

However, the enchanting environment does not mean it’s all play and no work! “People often think that a representative’s job consists only of welcoming vacationers when they arrive. The truth is, representatives are there to ensure that the hotel provides good-quality services, to help the entertainment team, promote excursions, solve any minor problems that may arise and try to minimize the more major ones, for the duration of the stay.”

When the situation turns sour – for instance,  when a strike paralyzes services or a quarrel occurs – it is up to the Delegation Manager, a position that Sylviane has held since 2007, to solve the problem. “When a representative calls me with a problem, I try to find a solution. However, very often, all I can do is give advice to help navigate through those situations.”

This support role continues on a daily basis as she is the link between the various services and the representatives, facilitating their administrative tasks. She is also responsible for recruiting and training the 10 or so new representatives hired every year.

Sylviane’s also works in the field: she organizes new excursions offered by local companies. “I really like working with people from different countries, and often, different mentalities. It’s sometime a major challenge to find common ground!”

The secret: excellent interpersonal skills. “Contact is very direct. We have to be able to express what is working and what isn’t.” She also has to be flexible in order to adapt to the very many surprises. “Working for a tour operator really isn’t half bad!” Sylviane says laughing. And, there’s that omnipresent holiday feeling…

Before joining Jonview Canada, Donn Stewart worked for a local tour operator in Toronto, where the company was one of his clients. In 1996, impressed with his work, Jonview Canada offered him the opportunity to join the team. Before then, Donn had been dealing exclusively in the Toronto and Niagara Falls regions. Now working for Jonview Canada, his product are all over the country!

Donn now works in Jonview Canada’s Group Operations department. “My job consists of two things: first, I help organize and plan trips with our customers and suppliers. Second, I supervise a team of six, providing mentorship and guidance. It’s quite different from the Inventory department where I worked before; I’m learning lots and loving it.”

Donn once thought of leaving the tourism industry to work in the world of television. He left Jonview Canada in 2003 to work for a TV company, but found that he missed the tourism industry. In 2006, he was back with this Transat business unit. “It meant the world to me when Jonview Canada rehired me. It’s been a ball since then.”

Asked what makes his job so much fun, he instantly replies: “The people. It’s a people business.” He works with people “who are young at heart. We all work together and we all have different work experiences to draw from.”

On a more personal level, Donn’s favourite hobby is travel – especially on cruise ships. “Every chance I get, I love travelling south to the Caribbean. I’ve got posters of cruise ships all over my cubicle. In fact – I hope I end up there!”

As part of the Transat Holidays Cruise Operations team in Montreal, Pasqualina Verrillo is the one making sure the customers’ cruises run smoothly from start to finish. “We basically take over after the cruise is booked”, she says. “Anything that affects the cruise itself or the itinerary, the flight to get to the cruise, we take care of it.“

After observing friends of hers who were part of the industry and realizing she was interested in pursuing a career in the same field, Pasqualina completed a year in tourism as the John F. Kennedy Business Centre in Montreal.

Until 2003, she was an employee of Americanada, a Transat business unit whose operations were later integrated into Transat Tours Canada. She is now responsible for managing cruises on the Norwegian Epic ship. Pasqualina is friendly and easygoing, yet also independent and resourceful; she’s the person to count on for a job well done. “When you know what needs to be done, people can depend on you,” she says.

Cruise Operations is a tight-knit team, and while Pasqualina says her priorities at home are her two children, she has come to feel very close to her colleagues. “You see them every day, so they become family,” she explains.

When she has the chance to travel, she enjoys being able to wind down, which is why Aruba is a favourite destination. “I just find it so relaxing, the beaches are so beautiful,” she says, adding “I didn't get to visit much of Europe but that’s something else that I would like to do once the kids are older!” Although she spends much of her spare time with her kids, doing “whatever they would like to do,” she has a weak spot for “sappy love stories;” her favourite movie is the 1980s romantic comedy Pretty in Pink. As for music, she says: “How can I forget Bon Jovi?”