A Canadian foundation leads to a global experience

A Canadian foundation leads to a global experience

Graham Perkins has found the city and the career of his dreams

By Matthew Fox

A lifelong airline nut, Graham Perkins, BComm'88, always knew he wanted to work in commercial aviation. Millions of airmiles later, he remains energized by a career that has provided his family with a global perspective.

Upon graduating from the U of C, Perkins joined Canadian Airlines' head office in Calgary, where in the first few years he gained exposure to many aspects of a complex business, including cargo, alliance development, marketing, finance and employee communications. This rich foundation, built during the peak of the airline's battle with Air Canada to be the country's dominant legacy carrier, groomed Perkins for international roles.

"I opened Canadian's Manila station in 1997, and the next challenge was to move to Beijing as general manager to build Canadian's operation and add Shanghai as a new destination," he says. Perkins was in Beijing, where he and his wife Tara learned Mandarin, when Air Canada acquired Canadian in 2000.

"A short time later, a personal dream was fulfilled when we were asked to move to Hong Kong where I would be the regional director for Asia Pacific," Perkins says. He had first visited Hong Kong in 1989. "I knew immediately it was the place for me, and luckily my wife shared this feeling," he says.

In 2002, Perkins left Air Canada to become vice-president (Asia Pacific) for Atlas Air, the world's largest outsourcer of widebody long-haul aircraft with a fleet of Boeing 747s. The new role allowed him to remain in Hong Kong, the city that had become home.

"Hong Kong's diversity continues to excite us," he says of the city where his two children, Grace and Greg have been born. "We have been so fortunate to be able to introduce our children to many countries in the region; as a result they adapt to change very easily and so do we."

At Atlas, Perkins focuses on leasing aircraft to many of the world's leading airlines. It's hectic-he recently spent six solid weeks visiting clients and reviewing Atlas' diverse operations (the airline flew into more than 300 airports worldwide, including regular service to Calgary, in 2007).

"The airline business changes year-by-year as it is forced to adapt to market changes, cost pressure and technology advancements," he says. But he wouldn't change his job, or where he lives, for the world. "I love the people I work with. I would be happy in this business, living and working in Hong Kong, for many years to come."