Air Canada Thanks Top Customers, Says Goodbye to Sales Leader Lisa Pierce

The ‘Experience’ section of Lisa Pierce’s LinkedIn page includes only one employer – albeit with 11 different roles over 39 years. From a Customer Service Manager in Newark beginning in 1987 to Vice President Global Sales and Air Canada Vacations, Pierce has had a stellar career with Canada’s flagship carrier.

That career was celebrated last night in Toronto – and earlier in the week in Vancouver and Montreal – as the airline combined its annual Customer Appreciation Event with a send-off for the retiring sales leader.

Vincent Gauthier-Doré, AC’s Managing Director Canada & USA Sales, described Pierce as “one of the most kind and thoughtful people I’ve ever met.”

When she took the stage, Pierce joked that when asked about what she would do after retirement, her vision was to “work at a hotel by the pool folding towels, then progress to making towel animals.”

On a more serious note she talked about the ups and downs of a turbulent 2025, and the collective resilience of Air Canada and its partners, many of whom were represented in the room.

“Our people and our partners are the strength of Air Canada,” Pierce said.

Pierce thanked the “outstanding sales leaders” that she learned from over the years, including Marc Rosenberg, Claude Morin (who always exhibited “care and class”), Lucie Guillemette (“who had a fix for every problem”), Zeina Gedeon (“a true champion of our industry”), the recently late Duncan Bureau (who left “a legacy that will long endure”), and John MacLeod.

François Choquette will take over Pierce’s duties as he moves into the new role of Head of Sales, shifting from his current position as Managing Director, Revenue Management. 

“Global Sales is in good hands,” Pierce assured.

“Lisa left big shoes to fill,” Choquette said. “She’s taken it up a notch, by building strong partnerships with travel agencies, tourist boards and associations like ACTA. I’ll bring my own style but I won’t change the importance of partnerships.”

Choquette comes from an engineering background. He started his career in aviation more than 25 years ago with Air Canada in the maintenance department before moving to the commercial side of the airline where he worked in alliances and Aeroplan before moving to France to head sales for Air Canada in southern Europe for several years.  He has spent most of the past decade focused on revenue management and international joint ventures.

Choquette’s career spans a dizzying range of aviation industry sectors, including aircraft fleet management, maintenance, frequent flyer programs, sales and distribution, airport operations, e-commerce, sales and revenue management. He sits on the board of Tourism Montreal, the France-Canada Chamber of Commerce in Paris, and small non-profit organizations in Montréal.

He will report to Alexandre Lefevre, who was recently appointed Vice President, Network Planning & Global Sales.

Choquette discussed the challenges Air Canada faced over the past year, including tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty, labour disruptions, redeploying capacity and more. He emphasized Air Canada’s significant investment in its international network, and encouraged the top-selling customers in the room to continue their efforts.

“We need your support as we expand to places like Rio de Janeiro and Ponta Delgada. We’re counting on the community and the partnership to drive success.”

Choquette told Pierce: “You can count on me to continue your legacy.”

Pierce’s LinkedIn page is filled with tributes from friends and colleagues. A couple that stood out are from women at Air Canada who she has inspired.

“Thank you Lisa for being an inspiring leader, for the support and the lift to enable us to reach altitude we never knew we could. Thank you for leading by example. With gratitude and admiration,” said Edna Ray, Air Canada Senior Manager, Regional Sales.

Erminia Gallina, Director of Sales, Air Canada Vacations, offered this tribute: “You will certainly be missed and thank you for your guidance and leadership. Leaders like you are rare and gifted.”

The event was sponsored by Visit Hungary, which is preparing for the welcome return of Air Canada’s Toronto-Budapest route, which was disrupted by the pandemic.

George Lendvai, Head of Tourism Development, North America for Visit Hungary, encouraged Canadians to return to the country and its beautiful capital Budapest. “We have many new landmarks and huge developments. And in a tiny country we have 22 wine regions. As I see many of you are drinking wine tonight, I would like to highly recommend our wines.”