Alfredo Tan

Alfredo is the first chief digital & innovation officer for WestJet Airlines responsible for building a culture of innovation and in the process transform the airline to become a digital enterprise. His focus is to significantly enhance WestJet’s self-service capabilities and transform all their digital platforms, allowing for not only a seamless guest experience, but improve commercial performance. He leads a talented and passionate team of experts in E-Commerce, Mobile, Digital Marketing, Engineering, Software Development, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Product Management, Content Strategy, UX Research and Design.

Alfredo joins WestJet as a former Facebook and Instagram Executive in Canada, where he was a founding team member in early 2009. Alfredo went on to work with the leadership team in Asia-Pacific in 2016 to help launch Facebook and Instagram in the Philippines. Similar management and leadership assignments brought him throughout Southeast Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia & Indonesia) and Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina & Brazil), where he was responsible for helping to build a high performance culture, drive operational excellence, strategic planning, client partnerships and accelerate growth in emerging markets.

Alfredo is also an Industry Professor in the Strategic Management Faculty at McMaster University. His lectures focus on Digital Transformation, Organizational Leadership & Strategy in the EMBA, MBA, and BComm programs. He is also a guest lecturer in The Directors College’s Innovation Governance program for Board Directors. Alfredo has also been a frequent Keynote Speaker at leading Technology, Media, Marketing, Academic & Aviation Conferences across North America and Asia. Alfredo has been profiled and quoted in Forbes Magazine, Marketing Magazine, Strategy Magazine, The Globe and Mail, and may other leading industry publications.

Alfredo currently sits on the the Digital Advisory Board at the World Aviation Festival, the University of Waterloo, the Advisory Board on Innovation at McMaster University and provides research support for the McMaster Digital Transformation Research Centre (MDTRC). He is also a member of the Leadership Council at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Alfredo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science & Biology from the University of Toronto, an MBA with a specialization in Information Systems & Technology from McMaster University. He is joining the 196th Class of the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the Harvard Business School and is currently enrolled in the Advanced Executive Certificate Program in Innovation & Technology at MIT. Alfredo is also a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO).