Clive Beddoe

Clive Beddoe headshot

Clive Beddoe is a founding shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of WestJet. In September 2007, Clive was appointed WestJet Chairman having previously held the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer. Clive has been instrumental in making WestJet one of the most successful airlines in recent aviation history.

Clive’s keen business acumen has shaped the development of WestJet’s corporate culture, executive team and strategy. A true entrepreneur, Clive’s strong background in financial planning and strategic management was gained through several successful real estate and plastics enterprises.

In 2000, Clive and his fellow WestJet founders received the Worldwide Award for Teamwork at the World Entrepreneur of the Year celebrations. In 2001, he received the Pinnacle Award, and in that same year, WestJet was awarded the “Business Ethics” award from the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta. In 2002 and 2003, WestJet was named one of Canada’s most respected companies, and in 2003, WestJet received the Most Respected Corporation title for Innovative Practices from Alberta Venture Magazine. In 2004, Clive received the prestigious Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta Faculty of Business and the Business Advisory Council.

Clive has been the recipient of honorary degrees from the University of Calgary and Wilfrid Laurier University and was appointed the 2010/2011 Jarislowsky Resident Fellow in Business Management at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. In 2012, Mr. Beddoe was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and, in 2013, was inducted into the Calgary Business Hall of Fame.

Clive is a resident of Calgary, having immigrated to Canada from England in 1970. Married with two children, Clive is a private pilot licensed to fly numerous types of aircraft. It was through this keen interest in aviation that spurred the formation of WestJet.

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Entrepreneur, leader and philanthropist Bruce Poon Tip, is the founder of G Adventures, an award-winning small group adventure travel company and social enterprise. Following a transformational backpacking trip to Asia, Bruce had an idea to change the face of travel. In 1990, at the age of 22 and on two maxed-out credit cards, Bruce started G Adventures, a tour operator designed to bridge the divide between backpacking and mainstream travel, and to connect travelers with local people in the countries they visit.

Fast forward 28 years: G Adventures is the now the world's largest small group adventure travel company, with 28 offices worldwide. We host 200,000 travelers per year, offer more than 700 tours, and travel to 100 countries — across all seven continents.

In 2003, with a vision that travel could be a force for social good and significant wealth distribution, Bruce founded G Adventures’ nonprofit partner, the Planeterra Foundation. Planeterra harnesses the power of the tourism supply chain to channel travelers’ dollars into underserved communities around the world.

Bruce’s work with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), like-minded companies, and indigenous people, has led to support for more than 50 community development projects globally, with another 25 planned to enter the tourism supply chain by 2020. This means 92% of G Adventures travelers will visit a social enterprise project on their tour. Passionate about the power of travel to change the world for the better, Bruce has become a global leader in social entrepreneurship, leadership, immersive travel, and innovation.

He has addressed the United Nations and the World Bank, spoken at the headquarters of Apple and Google, and delivered keynote speeches at TED events and entrepreneurship conferences around the world.

In 2012, Bruce was inducted into the Social Venture Network Hall of Fame, joining celebrated entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream). He was also awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, which recognizes significant contributions to society, and named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016, 2006 and 2002.

In 2018, Bruce was inducted into the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame, and honoured as one of AFAR USA’s ‘Travel Vanguards’ - a visionary travel industry leader who is changing the face of travel for the better.

Bruce’s first book, Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business, was released in 2013 and became a New York Times Best Seller, and the first business book to be endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who penned the book’s foreword. In 2015, Bruce released his second book, Do Big Small Things, a
beautifully designed journal about life and travel that takes readers on a journey and encourages them to share their own inspirations and creativity.

Built on the foundation of a strong company culture that celebrates happiness and freedom and rewards disruptive innovation through risk-taking and fun, G Adventures has been named one of the 50 Best Managed Companies for more than 10 years and is repeatedly recognized as a “best place to work” in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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