WestJet Airlines (TSX:WJA) has named Harry Taylor as its interim president and chief executive officer (CEO).
Taylor has previously been WestJet's chief financial officer since 2015. He will assume the interim CEO role between late November and mid-December of this year.
Taylor will replace current WestJet CEO Ed Sims, who announced in June that he plans to retire at the end of this year. Sims has been CEO of the airline since 2017.
Jennifer Bue, WestJet’s current vice-president of finance planning and analysis, has been named interim CFO at the Calgary-based carrier.
WestJet says Taylor played a key role in helping steer the airline through the COVID-19 pandemic. He was responsible for managing WestJet's liquidity at a time when little to no revenue was coming in.
Taylor also led WestJet's first U.S. bond sale and negotiated the purchase of the airline's new Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787 Dreamliner and Boeing MAX aircraft.
