MONTREAL, April 26 /CNW Telbec/ - Groupe Aeroplan Inc. (TSX: AER), today announced that industry veteran Peter DeNunzio is joining its Carlson Marketing unit as President, Customer Loyalty, U.S. region.  DeNunzio will have responsibility for the organization's consumer loyalty practice across five offices in the United States and will join Groupe Aeroplan's U.S. Executive Leadership team.

With over 25 years of experience in marketing, advertising and direct-to-consumer programs, Peter was most recently President of the New York office of Draftfcb. He previously held a number of leadership posts within The Ogilvy Group, including General Manager, OgilvyOne New York and General Manager, Global Clients.

"We're very excited to have Peter join our team," said Jeff Balagna, President and CEO, Groupe Aeroplan US and Asia-Pacific and Executive Vice President, Groupe Aeroplan, to whom DeNunzio will report.  "We've continued to build out our capabilities since we joined Groupe Aeroplan. With Peter at the helm of our U.S. Customer Loyalty organization, we're making a strong statement about our commitment to growth and innovation.  We're seeing a lot of interest from top talent who want to play a role in accelerating our growth.  Peter proved to be a great fit for this position."

"Today's marketers face the exciting challenge of finding creative ways to build customer loyalty.  Carlson Marketing has a long history as a loyalty leader and today is engaging with dynamic clients who've embraced loyalty as a strategic priority. There's a great foundation here for us to build on," said DeNunzio.  "Additionally, with the investment from Groupe Aeroplan as well as its global reach and resources, we have the opportunity to be a growth engine for the company in the U.S. and beyond," he added.

About Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Groupe Aeroplan Inc., a global leader in loyalty management, owns Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, Carlson Marketing, an international loyalty marketing services, engagement and events provider headquartered in the U.S., as well as Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program. Groupe Aeroplan also operates LMG Insight & Communication, an international customer-driven insight and data analytics business. In addition, Groupe Aeroplan has majority equity positions in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program. For more information about Groupe Aeroplan, please visit www.groupeaeroplan.com.