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WestJet exec says Holland College essential element

Some people might say that Sandy Campbell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for WestJet, was born to count beans; and Sandy, a Holland College alumnus, would probably be the first to agree.

"I applied to take Holland College's Accounting Technology program because I knew that I wanted to work in accounting, but I didn't want to spend four years in university," Campbell explained in a recent interview, "I wanted to get out into the field as soon as possible. University just wasn't an option."

His plans were almost thwarted in 1977, when the 17-year-old Island resident was turned down for entrance into the Accounting Technology program, and accepted instead into the Business Administration program. It didn't take long for his instructors to realize their error; and a few short weeks into the program, Sandy was transferred into Accounting Technology.

After a school year packed with training and hands-on experience, Sandy felt that he was ready to enter the world of accounting ? at least for the summer.

"When I finished my first year in the program, I was determined that I would get a job in accounting. No way was I going back to work on a tobacco farm for the summer. I was, after all, an Accounting student at Holland College, and far too important for that! So I spent the spring knocking on the doors of local businesses and I finally got to meet a partner who was in charge of hiring for a firm of chartered accountants.

But Sandy's yearning to leave the tobacco field for the accounting field was not to come to pass quite yet.

"The partner said that I didn't have enough experience, and they weren't very busy in the summer anyway, so I ended up back on the farm," he laughs.

But Sandy's tenacity and his commitment to accounting paid off that fall when he returned to start his second year of training.

"The instructors were setting up on-the-job training assignments, so I signed up immediately. My instructor, Eric Willis, told me that they had already received a request from an accounting firm that wanted me to do my OJT there.

It turns out that he had made more of an impression than he realized the previous spring. The request came from the senior partner to whom he had spoken about a summer job. That six-week OJT gave Sandy the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in many aspects of the accounting world, and gave the company an opportunity to assess his overall performance. By the end of the six weeks, the company was prepared to offer him a job.

If Sandy needed any further motivation, the job offer was it. He wrapped up his final year in less than six months and joined the accounting firm.

"Don't hesitate to knock on doors. It may not pay off immediately, but some day, it could," he says.

Sandy credits the on-the-job experience and the training that he received while at Holland College as providing him with the skills and knowledge that he needed to move forward in his career.

"Because of Holland College?s focused, practical approach to learning, it has been the basis of my entire career."

His career quickly picked up momentum; after a two-year stint with the local firm, he accepted a position with a Lethbridge soft drink bottling company. A former Accounting Technology assistant instructor who remembered his enthusiasm and ability recommended him for the position.

"I loaded everything into the car and headed for Alberta that November, " he recalls.

"You need to be able to embrace change," he contends. "Don?t expect things to come to you, you have to go after what you want."

Sandy's positive outlook has consistently enabled him to acquire the things he seeks. After 10 years with the bottling company, and seeing no possibility of further advancement from his position as Corporate Controller, he began applying for jobs in Calgary and Edmonton.

After responding to an ad in the paper, he accepted a divisional contoller position with Time Air and Canadian Regional Airlines, where he stayed for six years before accepting a position with WestJet.

Now, as Executive VP (sometimes called Cheap Financial Officer), and head of WestJet?s Accounting Department, also known as BeanLand, he oversees the activities of 45 bean counters and approximately 30 other BeanLanders. Sandy?s approach to hiring accountants is a little unorthodox.

"Accountants sometimes get full of themselves, when, really, they?re regular people. So when we?re hiring, we advertise the position as Bean Counter. The people who will respond to an ad like that are people who can laugh at themselves ? that?s what we are looking for. Someone who takes their job very seriously, but not themselves."

It?s a technique that has enabled BeanLand to become a place of high productivity and high morale, a place that reflects Sandy's approach to his profession: positive energy, enthusiasm, strong skills and a capacity to embrace change.

An avid believer in the value of life-long learning, Sandy acquired his Certified General Accountant qualification in 1988. In July of 2003, he was awarded the Fellowship Designation by the CGA in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the CGA and to his community.

He and his family return to Prince Edward Island regularly, and recently built a vacation home here. When he?s back in Charlottetown, he frequently takes a drive past the college's Charlottetown Centre and reminisces about the excellent times he spent there.

Holland College still offers the Accounting Technology program, although the technology has changed drastically in the 26 years since Sandy first walked through the halls of the college.

"My training at Holland College was the springboard for my career," he says, "I've always been very proud of that springboard."

For more information about this release, please contact:
Sara Underwood, Media and Communications Officer
Tel: 902-566-9695
Date: Friday, February 11, 2005