Andy Wright Takes the Helm at the AIR MILES Reward Program

Marketing vet brings more than 30 years of expertise to an iconic Canadian brand

TORONTO, July 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Andy Wright has assumed the role of President, AIR MILES Reward Program, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program.

"Andy has a demonstrated track record of leading capability innovations, building an energetic culture and driving business growth," said Bryan Pearson, CEO of LoyaltyOne, owners and operators of the AIR MILES Reward Program. "He is a results-oriented professional with the proven ability to successfully manage multifaceted businesses, including strategy and consulting, analytics, creative and communications."

Originally from the UK, Wright is a seasoned marketer with over 30 years of experience.  He spent the last 12 years in the United States and most recently held the position of CEO of Hawkeye Channel Practice, an agency specializing in channel marketing programs for major technology firms.  Previously, he was the president of Carlson Marketing's U.S. loyalty business.  He has also held several senior management positions with various marketing agencies and marketing analytics specialty organizations, such as Euro RSCG, Brann Worldwide and CACI respectively.

"AIR MILES is a great Canadian success story in the loyalty marketing industry," said Andy Wright. "There is a tremendous opportunity for me to bring my expertise to the 220 plus Sponsors that make up the AIR MILES Reward Program, and help lead this iconic brand into its next juncture."

He continued: "LoyaltyOne's unparalleled track record in the loyalty marketplace stems from its unique combination of pragmatic, hands-on experience and continuous thought leadership. It is this level of expertise that the talented team at AIR MILES embodies and what makes them so innovative in their offerings for Collectors."

Twenty years after the program's inception, more than 10 million active Collector accounts, representing approximately two-thirds of all Canadian households, participate in the AIR MILES Rewards Program.

About the AIR MILES Reward Program

Founded in 1992, the AIR MILES Reward Program is Canada's premier coalition loyalty program with more than 10 million active Collector accounts, representing approximately two-thirds of all Canadian households. AIR MILES Collectors can earn reward miles simply by doing their everyday shopping at more than 220 leading brand-name Sponsors, representing thousands of retail and service locations across Canada and leading global brands online. Collectors can indulge in more than 1200 leisure, entertainment, merchandise, travel and a range of accredited, environmentally-friendly lifestyle rewards. With AIR MILES Cash, Collectors can also have the flexibility to instantly redeem their AIR MILES reward miles in-store towards many everyday and high value purchases like gas, grocery, drug store items and home improvement purchases at participating Sponsors.

About LoyaltyOne

LoyaltyOne is a global leader in developing customer insights and strategy, delivering loyalty and marketing programs, and implementing customer experience management solutions for Fortune 1000 clients around the world. LoyaltyOne's unparalleled track record in the loyalty marketplace stems from its unique combination of pragmatic, hands-on experience and continuous thought leadership. LoyaltyOne has over 20 years history leveraging data-driven insights to develop and operate some of the world's most effective loyalty programs and customer-centric solutions. These include the AIR MILES Reward Program, North America's premier coalition loyalty program and a working partnership with Latin America's leading coalition program, dotz.  LoyaltyOne is also the equity partner of Direxions, a loyalty pioneer headquartered in India and the owner of COLLOQUY, a group dedicated to research, publishing and education for the global loyalty industry.

LoyaltyOne is an Alliance Data company.  For more information, visit www.loyalty.com

To arrange an interview or for more information, contact:

Sebastian Gatica
Environics Communications
[email protected]
416-969-2768