Airport CEO lands special honour

The CEO of Kelowna International Airport is the Kelowna Chamber’s Business Leader of the Year.

Sam Samaddar will be formally recognized at the Chamber’s 36th Annual Business and Community Excellence Awards on Nov. 17 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort.

The airport boss was chosen by an independent panel of judges made up of community leaders after they reviewed numerous nominees.

Samaddar was first appointed as Kelowna International Airport (YLW) director in 2008 and, as CEO, the chamber says he heads a dynamic team that has built YLW into one of the top ten airports in the country.

“Our business leader of the year, Sam Samaddar, is more than deserving of this award,” Dan Price, Chamber Chair, said. “He led the airport through the extreme challenges posed by the global pandemic and is now guiding it through a massive expansion that will allow more people than ever to experience our region.”

Samaddar’s interest in aviation developed early; at a young age he was involved with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets where he achieved his private pilot’s license at age 17.

In 1988, he launched his airport career at Vancouver International Airport and in 1992 he assumed the position of superintendent airport operations at YLW and has held numerous positions, including assistant general manager for both airport operations and airport development while achieving his International Accredited Airport Executive designation in 1997.

YLW is one of the top ten airports in Canada, expected to serve two million passengers in 2023, and was one of the fastest recovering airports in 2022 following the global pandemic.

As Airport CEO, Samaddar is a board member of Tourism Kelowna and Chair of Airports Council International – North America.