WestJet on the lookout for next Chief Sustainability Officer

Canadian airline WestJet is looking for its next Chief Sustainability Officer after Angela Avery announced her retirement.

The company has started a “comprehensive executive search” to replace Avery, who has been WestJet’s Group EVP, Chief People, Corporate and Sustainability Officer since 2020. Avery helped the company navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and develop a decarbonisation strategy.

“My time at WestJet has been an incredible highlight in my 30-year career. Being part of the team that responded to one of the worst crises in aviation history with unwavering dedication to our guests and each other has been immensely rewarding,” she said.

She will continue in her current role until a replacement is named and stay on in an advisory capacity until next year to smooth the transition.

“Angela joined WestJet in February 2020 and has been instrumental in navigating WestJet through the pandemic and positioning the WestJet Group for its continued success. While we are saddened to lose Angela to retirement, we wish her well in the next phase of her life,” said WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech.

WestJet sustainability commitments

The Alberta-based airline doesn’t have an official climate target approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), but is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through efficiency improvements and the acquisition of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Like many others in the aviation sector, the firm is aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and in 2023, it reported an 11% reduction in its fuel emissions intensity, compared to 2019.

In April 2024, WestJet purchased the first SAF supplied in Canada by Shell Aviation. The SAF in question is blended with conventional jet fuel and traced through a blockchain-based programme called Avelia, which tracks the environmental attributes of SAF delivered into the aviation fueling network.