Călin Rovinescu (born September 16, 1955), served as the president and chief executive officer of
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled an ...
from April 2009 to February 2021.
Early life and education
Rovinescu was born in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. He emigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
with his parents and sister when he was five years old. In 1974, he received his CEGEP (DEC) degree from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
. In 1978, he graduated from the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
where he received his LL.L. (Civil Law). In 1980, Rovinescu graduated from the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...
where he received his
LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
(Common Law).
Rovinescu has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from six institutions: Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa, Concordia University in Montreal,
University of Windsor
, mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge
, established =
, academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada
, former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963)
, type = Public universi ...
,
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...
in California, and
Politehnica University of Bucharest
Politehnica University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea Politehnica din București) is a technical university in Bucharest, Romania. 200 years of activity have been celebrated lately, as the university was founded in 1818.Stikeman Elliott LLP, and for over 20 years practiced 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 in 1988 and continued advising the airline on significant transactions and events thereafter. He is a member of the Quebec and Ontario Bar Associations.
Rovinescu first joined Air Canada in 2000 as its Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy and served as its Chief Restructuring Officer during its 2003–2004 restructuring.Globe and Mail Why this airline chief is Canada's best CEO of 2013 Between 2004 and returning to Air Canada in 2009, Rovinescu was a co-founder and principal of independent investment bank Genuity Capital Markets,Flight Global Calin Rovinescu – Air Canada which subsequently merged with Canaccord Capital to form Canaccord Genuity Group.
Rovinescu was elected chairman of the
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenge ...
chief executive board,Financial Post Air Canada chief gets key role at global airline group Star Alliance the controlling body of
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenge ...
, the world's largest global airline alliance, and served in that role from 2012 to 2016. He has also been a member of the board of governors of the International Air Transport Association,Financial Post Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu named new chairman of IATA a global trade association representing some 240 airlines since 2010. He served as chairman of IATA from June 2014 to June 2015.
He serves on the board of directors of BCE Inc., Canada's largest telecom and media company and of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Canada’s third largest bank. He is a Senior Advisor to
Brookfield Asset Management
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a Canadian multinational company that is one of the world's largest alternative investment management companies, with over US$725 billion of assets under management in 2022. It focuses on direct contro ...
, one of the world’s largest asset managers and of
Teneo
Teneo is a public relations and advisory company. The company was founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, and currently has more than 1,450 employees located in 40 offices. In 2019, Teneo sold a majority stake to ...
, a global public affairs advisory to CEOs. He previously served on the Board of directors of theCCCE Board Members
Business Council of Canada (BCC)
Business Council of Canada (BCC) is a non-partisan advocacy organization formerly known as the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). It was established in 1976 as the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI). Its members include CEOs of ...
, an organization composed of the CEOs of Canada's largest enterprises, representing all sectors of the Canadian economy.
Rovinescu is broadly credited with having saved Air Canada from bankruptcy and having set it on a course for sustainable profitability, better labour relations and continued success. In the ten years following his appointment, Air Canada's shares had appreciated more than 4,000% and the airline had achieved record revenues, record profitability and carried a record number of passengers. Its common shares had the greatest share price appreciation of all companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange over the decade ended December 31, 2019. It has expanded dramatically and serves 220 destinations on all six inhabited continents. During his tenure, Air Canada was recognized by Skytrax as the Best Airline in North America in eight out of ten years, and as the only four star network carrier in North America. In addition, it won numerous other awards including Air Transport World's 2018 Eco Airline of the Year and is one of Canada's Top Employers.
The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine named Rovinescu Canada's best CEO of 2013 and again in 2019, the only two-time winner of this award. In addition, in 2016, he was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year by Financial Post Magazine, the country's preeminent award for chief executives, founded in 1990 to identify and recognize exemplary leadership and achievement in business.
In 2018, Flight Global presented Rovinescu with the Global Executive Leadership Award at the 2018 Airline Strategy Awards in London, England, the airline industry’s leading recognition for CEOs of global carriers. He was recognized for his "strong and unwavering leadership of Air Canada."
Also in 2018, Rovinescu was recognized with the CEO lifetime achievement Award at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) expo in Boston, and named the first CEO from the Americas to be presented with the Award by APEX.
In 2019, Tourisme Montreal presented Rovinescu with their highest honour, the Tribute Award, for his contribution to the development of Montreal and the Conseil du Patronat inducted him into its Entrepreneurs’ Club, amongst the significant leaders of Quebec business. He was inducted as a Companion into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame at a virtual induction ceremony which occurred in June 2021.
On October 3, 2019, together with his wife Elaine, he announced the creation of the Rovinescu Admission Scholarships for new Canadians, to benefit students at both the University of Ottawa and Université de Montréal through a gift of $2M, to be divided equally between the two institutions. The Rovinescu Scholarships will provide first-generation Canadians or children of immigrants, with the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s or professional degree designation at either university.
Since November 9, 2015, he was named 14th Chancellor of the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...
, replacing former Governor General Michaëlle Jean.
Rovinescu was appointed a member of the Order of Canada for promoting the associated charitable causes and organizations of Canada's largest airline, and for his leadership in spearheading humanitarian relief following several natural disasters.