Craig Lawrence Dobbin, (12 September 1935 – 7 October 2006) was an industrialist and chairman and chief executive officer of

CHC Helicopter CHC Helicopter is a Texas-based helicopter services company. CHC Helicopter maintains it global headquarters in Irving, Texas and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are b ...

Corporation, a public company traded on the

Toronto Stock Exchange The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in the ...

and the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

. The company, headquartered in Richmond, BC, is the world's largest helicopter company, providing global helicopter services. Dobbin was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and received his early education at

Saint Bonaventure's College St. Bonaventure's College (commonly called St. Bon's) is an independent kindergarten to grade 12 Catholic School in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, adjacent to the Roman Cat ...

in St. John's. After a period of employment with P. J. Dobbin Lumber and Building Supplies, Dobbin engaged in a short-haul trucking venture and underwater salvage operation until he started real estate speculation in St. John's in 1963. The venture, later known as Omega Investments Ltd., moved operations to Ottawa and subsequently established offices in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. In the early 1970s, Dobbin returned to Newfoundland, where he established Sealand Helicopters in 1977. In 1988, Dobbin merged Toronto Helicopters, Okanagan Helicopters and Sealand Helicopters into CHC (Canadian Holding Company) and operated as

CHC Helicopters CHC Helicopter is a Texas-based helicopter services company. CHC Helicopter maintains it global headquarters in Irving, Texas and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are b ...

and

Canadian Helicopters Canadian Helicopters Limited, formerly a part of the Canadian operations of CHC Helicopter Corporation, operates 112 aircraft from 26 bases across Canada and provides a broad range of helicopter services to support the following activities: emerg ...

. CHC acquired British International Helicopters in 1994. CHC later divested itself of all domestic helicopter operations in Canada (except a base in Halifax, Nova Scotia). In 1999, CHC Helicopter Corporation, with Dobbin as CEO and chairman, took control of Helikopter Services Group ASA of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, making CHC Helicopters the largest provider of global helicopter transportation. Dobbin was Chairman of the Ireland Canada University Foundation located in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

which assists and promotes Canadian Studies in Irish Universities; a member of the Board of Directors of Newfoundland Capital Corporation and was the Honorary

Consul General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for Newfoundland and Labrador. In June 1990, the Government of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

awarded Dobbin with the

Médaille de l'Aéronautique The Aeronautical Medal (french: "Médaille de l'Aéronautique") is a state decoration of France established by the decree of February 14, 1945. It is awarded to both military personnel and civilians for outstanding accomplishments related to t ...

, designed to reward civil or military people who have distinguished themselves in the development of aviation; in October 1990, he received an Honorary

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

Degree from Saint Mary's University; he was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1992. In 1995, he was bestowed with an Honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

Degree from the National University of Ireland; in 1996, he was appointed the Outstanding Individual Philanthropist for the year from the Canadian Society of Fund-raising Executives, and presented with both Newfoundland's Transportation Person of the Year award and the National Transportation Person of Year Award. In January 2000, he was awarded the honour of "Newfoundland's Businessman of the Millennium" and in May 2000, he received an Honorary

Degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland. In October 2000, Dobbin was awarded the Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, this program, founded by Ernst & Young, celebrates great entrepreneurs and heightens awareness of the economic effect of entrepreneurial ventures. Dobbin died on 7 October 2006, one day after he had taken a leave of absence from his duties at CHC.

See also

Further reading