Georgian College

Scott Groh has been helping to shape the aviation industry for more than 30 years. Having grown up in the small Ontario town of Port Elgin on the shores of Lake Huron, he admits that he began his aviation journey with very little experience with aircraft. "I was 20 years old before I even set foot in a real jet," says Scott. "The opportunity to study aviation and expand my worldview was very exciting." As a student in the program's very first Aviation Management intake, he credits Georgian's three co- op placements for providing him extensive fieldwork, which helped him gain hands-on experience and build invaluable relationships in the industry. "Because of the co-op, I landed directly in my field and it put the foundation in place for my entire career," says Scott. After graduating in 1989, he went on to work in executive sales for Ad Opt Technologies Inc., where he helped to introduce some of the first airline crew management optimization software to airlines around the world. Scott now works as Vice President of Crew Resources with WestJet. In this role, he oversees a dynamic operating schedule, which spans 11 time zones and includes more than 120 aircraft. As a member of WestJet's senior executive team, one of Scott's priorities is helping the Canadian airline expand operations throughout the Americas, Caribbean and Europe. Prior to WestJet, Scott spent 14 years in the Middle East, working in leadership roles with Gulf Air, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. He held leadership positions at a time when these airlines were pursuing aggressive expansion plans and helped to establish them as global players in the airline industry. Under his leadership and planning, he oversaw the introduction of the Airbus A380 – the world's largest passenger aircraft. He was also a leader during some very challenging moments in the airline industry. While working as the manager of crew resources with Gulf Air, Scott worked on logistics for emergency evacuation flights during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War in Lebanon and his leadership helped shape policy in the post-9/11 era. Scott is often invited to speak at industry events and conferences, and accepts the opportunity to share his extensive industry knowledge whenever possible. Wherever his career takes him next, he notes, "The square root of my success started with Georgian College." SCOTT GROH Business category AVIATION MANAGEMENT, 1989 vICE PRESIDENT OF CREW RESOURCES, WESTJET AIRLINES " The square root of my success started with Georgian College." GEORGIANVIEW 2018 23 PREMIER'S AWARDS

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