Canadian Travel Hall Of Fame 2023 Profiles: Jacques Gilbert

If you've ever seen travel insurance executive Jacques Gilbert on a dance floor (and who hasn't?), you'll likely be surprised, if not shocked, that he will turn 68 on May 17, the day before the TravelPulse Canada Readers' Choice Awards.

The biggest party in the Canadian travel industry will also see the still-youthful Gilbert inducted into the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to a man who spent nearly 50 years in the business.

How did he react to the news? "I thought it was a joke. And my wife Marguerite looked at me and said: 'Can you double-check?'"

"It just feels like there are many people with bigger achievements," Gilbert said. "I don't have a Masters degree. I'm not the smartest guy."

We disagree, and we suspect many of you do too. The travel industry is a relationship-based business -- a people business -- and Gilbert has consummate people skills.

"I love life. I love people. I listen to people and read them, and I think that's an important skill. It's obviously good that I know numbers and I can do contracts, but that won't close a deal."

Gilbert's career began in 1975 in an entry-level position with Quebec Air. He later moved to Newfoundland for a reservations position with Eastern Provincial Airways. He moved back to Montreal with EPA, where he began working with travel agents - taking over from a colleague who found them "too picky."

"I just loved working with agents. And that never changed."

In 1981, Gilbert began a four-decade run in the travel insurance industry, joining Voyager Insurance as a sales representative for the Quebec market. Moving up in the company, he was sent to Alberta as Director of Sales, then shifted back east to Ontario in 1989 to become Vice-President of Sales and Chief Operating Officer.

In the mid-90s, Gilbert took his sales skills to Transat Holidays, working under Transat co-founder Lina De Cesare.

It was 2002 when Gilbert received "the opportunity of a lifetime," when he was invited to become a partner with travel insurance broker Pottruff & Smith.

"I always set goals. I always knew where I wanted to be. In my early 20s I decided that one day I wanted to be my own boss. It took a long time, but it happened," Gilbert said.

He spent seven happy years at Pottruff & Smith, before the company was acquired by Manulife in 2009. Gilbert agreed to stay on for three years - which turned into 14.

"The team I work with at Manulife, they're awesome. They make everything easy. And the main reason why I stayed so long is because I love my clients. Clients like Ensemble and Travel Leaders. And clients that became great friends, like Lindsay Perlman (Travel Leaders Network) and David Harris (Ensemble). We had so much fun that sometimes it felt like cheating to get a salary!"

Knowing his tremendous energy, many industry members questioned Gilbert about whether he's "really retiring," or will show up again in a new role.

"If I was going to keep working, I'd stay at Manulife," he said. "I'm ending it where I wanted to be."

He's leaving with Manulife in a good place, after the tumultuous and costly years of the pandemic.

"It was a really rough ride. We paid out so much in claims. We tend to forget quickly, but we survived a very difficult period. And we're in very good shape right now."

Travel insurance was traditionally a tough sell to many Canadians. But just as the pandemic reinforced the value of a travel agent's services, it also drove home the importance of travelling with protection.

"It's amazing. People are now telling agents 'Don't forget to put travel insurance on my file.' And our increased awareness is amazing too. Agents are demanding more training. The pandemic also made us more nimble in developing new products and platforms."

With his wife Marguerite retired from Air Canada for some years now, Gilbert figures the time is right to free up more time to spend with her, their children and four grandchildren - with a fifth soon to arrive. They'll spend summers on a lake near Kingston, Ontario, and winters at their place on Florida's Gulf Coast.

"It's been very emotional the last few weeks, as I began to say goodbye to colleagues and friends. This is such a warm and friendly industry - it's the best industry there is."

TravelPulse Canada founder John Kirk says it's hard to picture the Canadian travel industry without Jacques Gilbert.

"I feel like we grew up in the business together over the last thirty years or so. Back in the 90's we had a core group of us, they all know who they are, and we did the conference circuit, year after year. Those were 4:00 am closings and 6:00 am wakeups," says Kirk.

He adds: "The Voyager suite parties were something to behold. We all worked very hard to carve our way in the business. I wish Jacques, the love of his life Marguerite, and his family all the best. It will be an honour to add his name to the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame on May 18," Kirk added.

Gilbert still has a few conferences on the books in May and June before he dances off into the Ontario and Florida sunsets. Oh, and about that dancing -- for Jacques Gilbert, it's bred in the bone.

"My sisters and my mom and dad and I would often party and dance until 3 am. So I'm very comfortable on a dance floor. I'll miss that for sure. But more than anything else, I'll miss the people, and the travel agents who are more important than anything else in this industry."

Rest assured Jacques, the people will miss you too. But as the latest member of the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame, you'll always be remembered.