“My name is Alex and I’m a Manager, Maintenance Response at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). I started at the GTAA in 2014 as a passenger service representative. My eagerness to learn took me to my next role of terminal service representative before moving to Manager, Terminal Operations.
“I lead a team of 13 highly skilled tradespeople, including maintenance associates, carpenters, plumbers, sprinkler fitters, electricians, and their supervisor, who respond to any system outages in our facilities—anything from changing a lightbulb to restoring power outages, replacing a faucet to troubleshooting major water leaks to restoring complex security door mechanisms. When they’re not fixing something, they’re helping to prevent future problems. In addition to the day-to-day tasks, I’m here to help motivate this team, remove the obstacles they might face, cheer them up when they are down, and to recognize them for their success.
“People are my passion and I believe in people being successful. It brings me joy to see my team proud after a job well done. We’ve even had times where our team members have been applauded for fixing something that made the passenger experience a little bit better. My reward is knowing that my team feels valued.
“We’re still recovering from a tough time in our industry, but tackling our challenges together makes our work even more fulfilling. Airport workers thrive in challenging situations and it’s rewarding to solve problems as a team.
“If I could put an ad in the paper for any role at Pearson, it would read: “Dreaming big? Think you can make a difference? Want to change the world? Come join us!” It’s all about passion, and I feel very fortunate that the GTAA has allowed me to live and work with passion.”
- Alex, Manager, Maintenance Response, GTAA