AFTER EXPERIENCING THE ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE of serving as Board Chair of the CAA Club Group (CCG), it’s time for me to hand over the reins.

The past three years have been extraordinary and the world as we’d known it has changed. Being on the board during a once-in-a-lifetime event, like the COVID-19 pandemic, forced us to take stock of what’s important in our personal lives as well as in business.

As the world shut down and travel ground to a halt, we were faced with a decision at CCG. Do we, like so many other organizations, lay off our Associates when they are at their most vulnerable? Or do we do everything we can to harness their experience and expertise to innovate and move forward?

We opted for the latter. During the pandemic, there were no layoffs at CCG. If there is one thing I’m proud of during my time here, it’s that decision made by the board and company executives.

Our Associates were instead given the opportunity to learn new skills, grow and innovate. We continued making decisions based on the circumstances we were dealt with and on the needs of Members and Associates. So many new and innovative things grew out of that mindset. During the pandemic, we reached out personally to senior Members to see if there was anything we could do for them, and we arranged for food to be delivered to those who were isolated in their homes.

Member safety has always been our number one priority, and based on that, we’re providing Members and Associates easy access to online doctors through our partnership with Maple. We’ve also launched Premier Collection—our private chartered trips for groups travelling within Canada and beyond.

Despite the hurdles, we’ve grown as a company and, moving forward, I believe that our focus on innovation will continue through the years to come.

It was a gift to be Chair of the CCG board during this tumultuous time, and to work with an organization that truly lives its values and proves it daily. Last year, we updated our slogan to Driven By Good, which fits CCG in every way.

I want to thank Jay Woo and his exemplary senior leadership team for their continued work, passion, drive and purpose as they steward this amazing company in the years to come.

To our Board Members, who are dedicated to the governance and oversight of this organization, their support during my tenure as Chair was essential and I know it will continue far into the future.

I wish our Associates and Board continued success while they focus on “being obsessed with Member safety.”