Chris Avery, President & CEO, Arctic Gateway Group
Chris Avery is the President & CEO of the Arctic Gateway Group (AGG), an Indigenous-and community-owned organization that owns and operates the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill.
Chris is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in the transportation industry.
Since his appointment in July 2024, he has championed Churchill and the railway as a critical Canadian infrastructure that unlocks new economic opportunities for northern Manitoba and strengthens national supply chains.
Under his leadership AGG has set a vision to be a major port in Canada and a significant set of trade enabling infrastructure in support of our national goals to diversify our trade, become an energy super power, and assert our sovereignty in the North.
As the former President & CEO of Canadian North and First Air, Chris led the successful merger and integration of the two airlines and guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Canadian North was named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies and recognized as Regional Airline of the Year (2022) by Air Transport World. He spent 13 years at WestJet in a variety of senior leadership roles and has also held management positions with Alaska Airlines, Canadian Airlines, and other companies in the travel and transportation sectors.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Economics from Western University and an MBA from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and serves on the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Board of Directors