Craig Laurence Dobbin

Craig Laurence Dobbin, O.C., D.Sc.(Hon), LL.D.(Hon), LL.D.(Hon), was born on September 13, 1935 at St. John's, Newfoundland. He graduated from St. Bonaventure College in St. John's in 1952. A short-haul trucking venture and underwater salvage operation led to real estate speculation in St. John's in 1963. This grew into Omega Investments Ltd., which moved operations to Ottawa and later established offices in Montreal.

In the early 1970s, Dobbin returned to Newfoundland and bought a small helicopter to transport him and friends to the remote salmon fishing rivers in his home province. He soon realized the potential of helicopters in the offshore oil industry, and established Sealand Helicopters Ltd. in 1977. After winning his first government contract, he acquired a Winnipeg company and nine small helicopters. His immediate goal was to create a helicopter company to service Newfoundland's offshore oil resources, but provincial-federal government discussions delayed this development for several years.

By 1981, Dobbin's companies were involved in real estate, construction, aviation, marine enterprises and investments throughout eastern Canada. These provided the leverage and collateral for many of his subsequent ventures. His vision was to build the world's largest helicopter services company, and it was in the high flying world of helicopters that he made his mark in international business.

In 1987, Dobbin risked everything when he acquired two large Canadian operations: Toronto Helicopters and the international operations of Okanagan Helicopters. Merging them with Sealand, he launched a public company, CHC Helicopters Corporation. He now had access to business in the Pacific Rim.

Dobbin next set his sights on Europe, and entered the North Sea market with the acquisition of British International Helicopters in 1994. Shortly thereafter, adversity struck when a large contract with Shell was lost. But he didn't look back, or stop, even when he had to undergo a life-saving lung transplant in 1997. He returned to work with greater vigour and determination.

In 1999 the company got even bigger. With Dobbin as CEO and Chairman, CHC made a successful bid for Helicopter Services Group of Norway, which tripled the size of the company. Consequently, CHC became the leading helicopter service provider in the North Sea, the world's largest offshore market. CHC also became a world leader in Search and Rescue, helicopter training and Repair and Overhaul. In Stavanger, Norway, CHC operated the world's only facility for the repair and overhaul of Super Pumas - the No. 1 aircraft for the offshore industry.

The company continued to expand, with the majority of CHC's revenue coming from providing helicopter support to offshore platforms operated by the world's major oil and gas companies. CHC's international bases of operation include: Australia, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, the Middle East, South Africa, Ecuador, Angola, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Eastern Canada and the UK, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands and many others.

In 2000 CHC integrated its operations around the world, becoming the first helicopter services company to market its global operations under one recognizable name. Dobbin launched CHC on the New York Stock Exchange, with its first call to trading on October 11, 2002.

In 2005 CHC purchased Schreiner Aviation Group, the leading offshore helicopter services company in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and a key player in West Africa.

By late 2003, several of the world's major multi-national oil companies were demanding one standard of safety and service for all operations around the world. In response to this, CHC began a major restructuring initiative in 2004. The result was the creation of three main operating segments: CHC Global Operations, based in Vancouver; CHC European Operations, based in Aberdeen, Scotland; and Hell-One, CHC's leasing and Repair and Overhaul support group, also based in Vancouver. It was a heart-wrenching decision for Dobbin to move the company's head office from St. John's to Vancouver, but the decision was made in the best interests of the company.

He founded Sealand Helicopters with a single, used Hughes 500D helicopter in 1977. Through well-timed acquisitions, strategic decisions and the support of many dedicated, loyal employees, he built CHC into the largest helicopter services company in the world, with a billion dollars in market capital.

Dobbin was a determined and forceful man who was loyal and caring, a visionary and risk-taker. He lived life to the fullest; he was an avid salmon fisherman, friend of two American presidents, confidant of legislators and patron of the arts. He was Chairman of the Ireland Canada University Foundation, located in Dublin, and Honorary Consul of Ireland for  Newfoundland and Labrador. He served on Boards of Directors of many corporations, as well as Honorary Chairman and Patron of several organizations and foundations.

He was awarded several honorary Doctorate degrees: by Saint Mary's University of Halifax, a doctor of Science in 1990; by the National University of Ireland, a Doctor of Laws in 1995; and by Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Doctor of Laws in 2000.

He received many honours, including the Medaille de 1'Aeronautique from the Government of France in 1990. Because of his generosity to many causes, he was appointed Outstanding Individual Philanthropist of the Year 1996 by the Canadian Society of Fund-raising Executives. In October 2000 he was named the Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2001 was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Business Hall of Fame. But he considered his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992 to be his greatest honour.

Dobbin was a proud Newfoundlander, and an equally proud Canadian, who kept his company in Canada. He delivered his final speech to CHC shareholders on September 28th in Vancouver. At that time he learned he would be inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2007. He died on October 7, 2006 in St. John's, one day after he had taken a leave of absence from his duties at CHC and appointed his son, Mark, as the Chairman of the company. He will be remembered for his gregarious personality, his generous spirit and his deep love for his family.

Craig Dobbin lived his life by the advice he gave others: "Dare to Dream"; "Turn adversity into opportunity"; and "if you are an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word, you're not taking any risks, you're simply executing a plan for which you are positive of the results."

Craig Laurence Dobbin was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at ceremonies held in Ottawa on June 6, 2007 at a ceremony held in Ottawa, Ontario.