Pina Guercio, vice president, global human resources at Air Canada.Supplied
When Katherine Peters was growing up, her family used to park their car at Newman Crescent in Dorval, Que., to watch the planes leave and land at Montréal-Trudeau Airport. “From a young age, I’ve had a passion for that giant machine in the sky,” she says. It’s no wonder that she ended up choosing a career with Air Canada.
The Montréal-based airline, Canada’s largest by size and passengers carried, was on Peters’ radar after she earned a commerce degree from Concordia University in 2019. She soon started a temporary contract as a talent acquisition partner in human resources that turned into a permanent opportunity. In 2022, she returned as a talent marketing manager, and is now covering a co-worker’s maternity leave in an acting manager role in talent acquisition process and service delivery.
“To be able to work for a Canadian company with the insignia on the planes’ tails is something I’m very proud of,” says Peters. “I show up here, and I’m happy. If work is going to be a big chunk of my life, I want to be happy in my career.”
Job satisfaction comes from feeling comfortable letting managers know when she’s ready to embrace a new opportunity, and being supported when she heads in a new direction. The hybrid work schedule suits her, both her two days at home and three at the office. “The tradition of being with people has always been highly valued here, and I love coming into the office because it shows that we’re all part of a bigger team,” she says.
Peters also appreciates the travel privileges that Air Canada employees enjoy, in the form of greatly discounted stand-by airfares. She and her partner, who is from France, have travelled to Paris to visit his family, and vacationed in Greece, Italy and California, as well as across Canada. Not all of their trips have been for pleasure, however.
Since the pandemic started, Peters and her partner have lost five grandparents between them. “We had to arrange last-minute flights to attend funerals in the U.S. and France,” she says. “It’s a relief to know that Air Canada is there for us during difficult times, too.”
Pina Guercio, Air Canada’s vice-president of global human resources, has also felt supported by her employer throughout her career. Her first job after earning a bachelor’s degree in human relations from Concordia in 1999 was in call centres. “I was 24 and only planned to work there for the summer, but I fell in love with travel and the airline industry, and I’ve been here ever since,” she says.
After working in sales for Air Canada Vacations, Guercio moved into human resources, furthering her education by earning a certificate in advanced human resources from Queen’s University. In 2012, she was part of the startup team for Air Canada Rouge that focused on flights for leisure travellers. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she says.
Informal mentoring has been invaluable to both Guercio and Peters, and in the spring of 2023, a more formal mentoring program was rolled out. “Being able to have a sounding board, and to lean on colleagues as mentors, is critical,” says Guercio. “That leads to more personal growth and collaboration, which contributes to our success.”
Like Peters, Guercio also enjoys the company’s travel privileges. Each year, her teenage son and daughter choose a country they’d like to visit. The family has vacationed in many countries in Europe and the Caribbean.
“Air Canada represents an iconic brand, the beautiful maple leaf,” says Guercio. “As soon as I see it, no matter where I am in the world, I feel at home.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.