Tom Ruth Appointed Chair of the Canadian Airports Council

Halifax International Airport Authority President and CEO Tom Ruth to Lead Canadian airports trade association into 2014

OTTAWA, March 21, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Airports Council, a division of Airports Council International - North America, today announced that Halifax International Airport Authority President and CEO Tom Ruth has been elected chair of its board.  Mr. Ruth succeeds Saskatoon Airport Authority President and CEO Bill Restall, who has led the CAC since 2010.

"For the past few years, I have had the pleasure to work with Bill Restall on the CAC board of directors as the association underwent several important changes in its evolution," said Mr. Ruth.  "During Bill's tenure on the board, he has prepared the association to serve Canada's airports well for the years ahead, with a new management team and a strengthened role within the ACI world."

Tom Ruth was appointed president & CEO of the HIAA in January 2008. He had been president & CEO at Oceanex Inc. until its privatization in 2007. He previously was president of Canadian North Airlines, a 100 percent aboriginal-owned airline connecting Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton to Canada's North.

From 1994 until 2004, Mr. Ruth held executive level positions at Livingston International, a Canadian-based logistics, freight forwarding and brokerage.  Prior to his tenure at Livingston, Mr. Ruth worked for Northwest Airlines for 10 years and was general manager of the eastern region in the cargo department.

A New Vice Chair for the CAC

Saint John Airport Inc President and CEO Bernard LeBlanc also was elected as vice chair of the organization.

Since joining the Saint John Airport in 2008, Bernard LeBlanc has become immersed in the local community and industry associations. He has been a board member for a variety of groups and associations including, the CAC, ACI-NA and the Atlantic Canada Airports Association.

Mr. LeBlanc served as General Manager within the JD Irving organization for over a decade prior to joining the airport and in this role was able to generate profitable growth and increased customer satisfaction. Between 1985 and 1996, Bernard held sales and senior management roles with Westinghouse (Moncton & Thunder Bay), and Cerberus Pyrotronics (now a division of Siemens) in Toronto and Los Angeles.

As well as being an MBA graduate, he is a professional engineer registered in New Brunswick and Ontario.

In other changes to the board, new Greater Toronto Airports Authority President and CEO Howard Eng and Regina Airport Authority President and CEO Jim Hunter are new additions.

About the Canadian Airports Council

The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a division of Airports Council International-North America, is the voice for Canada's airports community and the Canadian unit of Airports Council International-North America.  Its 45 members represent more than 200 airports, including all of the National Airports System (NAS) airports and most significant municipal airports in every province and territory. Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation's air cargo and international passenger traffic and 95% of domestic passenger traffic.  They create in excess of $45 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve.  And more than 200,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually.

Chris Phelan
Director of Aviation Security and Industry Affairs
Canadian Airports Council
[phone] ext 12
[email protected]