Jeanniot, Pierre J, 1933- : Born in Montpellier in 1933, having lived in his childhood and part of his early adolescence in Ethiopia, Italy and France, then having finally emigrated to Canada in 1947 with his mother, it is mainly as president and chief of management of Air Canada from 1984 to 1990, and architect of the privatization of the company in 1988, that Pierre Jeanniot can be considered as an actor having played a representative role in Canadian society and history. But his achievements go well beyond this framework. Here we will briefly present the important moments that preceded and followed this period and which allow us to better appreciate the importance of his contribution to Canadian society.
Before becoming president of Air Canada, Pierre Jeanniot made a significant contribution for nearly 30 years to the development of this airline. First making his debut in 1955 as a junior technician (for what was then called Trans-Canada Airlines), he quickly rose through the ranks during his first 4 years becoming a technician, first technician and then supervisor of the quality. As part of his duties, his interest in the field of operations research quickly led him to stand out. This new discipline, developed in the military field in 1940 in England, then in the industrial field in the United States in 1949, is, according to the definition he himself gives in an article of 1963, "the application of scientific methods in the study of administrative problems ".He first applied this theoretical approach to establish the sequence of replacement of engines and certain parts of engines. This is how he developed the "Engine Repair Overhaul Simulation" (EROS) which became a benchmark for airlines. In 1964, he had the idea of the "Flight Data Recorder" (FDR) (better known later as the famous "black box") by perfecting and adapting for the purposes of determining the causes.of aircrafts' accidents certain flight parameters primarily recorded for aircraft maintenance. On the other hand, in addition to his work at Air Canada, he participates in international groups dealing with operational research. Recognized for his skills in this discipline as well as in computer science, he was chosen in 1969 as a member of the technological committee implementing the computer system of the University of Quebec. Following this achievement, he was offered to become the first vice-president of that university, but eventually accepted an offer from Air Canada to become vice-president of the computer service. He never really left the University of Quebec however as he was chairman of the board from 1972 to 1978, then chancellor of the institution from 1995 to 2008.
Deepening his interest in strategic business planning, he developed the institution's first five-year plan at Air Canada and set up the Corporate Planning Office. He also set up the Reservec II online reservations system in 1973. In 1976, in reaction to what was called the Air People's Crisis, caused by the predominance of English within the company, he showed leadership by setting up a program to francise Air Canada's activities in Quebec (even before the adoption of the French Language Charter (or Bill 101) on August 26, 1977). From that time on, he begin to play a leading role in the company's public relations. In the late 1970s, he set up the 'en Route' credit card system. It should also be noted that in the early 1980s, Pierre Jeanniot pioneered the work of establishing the first non-smoking flights in the aviation industry. In 1979, he was appointed Vice-President Marketing, Planning and Development, then in May 1984 he finally reached the highest position by being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and thus became the first French-speaking president in the history of the company. His main contribution as president will be to complete the privatisation of the company. The latter will be carried out in 1988 and will be facilitated by the favorable reception of the Progressive-Conservative party, then in power, to the deregulation of Canadian skies. He finally resigned from his post in 1990, following a difference of vision between him and the other members of the management. Following this resignation, he will begin to offer his services as a management consultant. He will thus start his consulting firm 'Jeanniot Investissement, Management et Gestion' (JINMAG).
In January 1992, another important part of Pierre Jeanniot's career began, which led him to play a leading role at the international level. He was then approached to take up the management position of the IATA (International Air Transport Association). As president of this important organization, founded in 1945 at the same time as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (following the Chicago Convention of 1944), he will demonstrate an important leadership. He first develops a strategic plan to debureaucratise the company. He further aims for IATA to become an effective, autonomous and respected international body. This is when his influence on the international stage begins to be felt. In an important speech in Amman in 1997, he tackled the problems of aviation safety, poor infrastructure and respect for the environment. In order to tackle the problem of queues, he is helping to establish the first electronic ticketing and pre-registration system. With the help of US President Bill Clinton, he also promotes aviation safety in Africa and participates in the development of the 'Safe sky for Africa' program. He further addresses the problem of overflighting North Korean airspace, the freezing of airline funds in Libya and Iran, and several other issues of international concern. He thus gradually acquires the title of "Master of the airs". Still on duty during the events of September 11, 2001, he orchestrated the hijacking and coordinated the landings of thousands of aircraft following the closure of US airspace. On June 4, 2002, he finally left his post of Director of IATA and obtained the honorary title of "Director General Emeritus for Life".
Subsequently, he continued to participate as an adviser, consultant or chairman of boards of directors in the activities of many companies related to the aviation industry. He takes this opportunity to continue to assert his views on safety and environmental protection. Since 2006 he has been president of the World Air Transport Forum (WAF) and since 2003 he is also president of the Antivirals Foundation (FAV).
Pierre Jeanniot's brilliant career earned him the honor of being named Officer of the Order of Canada in 1989 and Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2002. He was also awarded two honorary doctorates: one by the Faculty of Commerce and administration of Concordia University in 1997 and another by the Faculty of Management of McGill University in 2006.
