Counsel to Counsel - September 2008 - (Page 5) partnership at a glance CHC Helicopter Corporation helicopter operator in Canada, he then turned his focus abroad. In 1994, CHC bought British International Helicopters, giving the company a foothold in the lucrative North Sea oil fields. By 1999, CHC was the third largest helicopter company in the world, but far smaller than the second largest company, Norway’s Helicopter Service Group. Again, Craig Dobbin made a bold move. “He knocked on the door of HSG and said, ‘I’d like to buy you,’” recounts Martin Lockyer, CHC vice president for legal services. “They really didn’t think too much of that, so he launched a hostile takeover bid and got his way.” The gambit made CHC the second largest helicopter operator in the world, neck-andneck with Houston-based Bristow Group Inc. By the time Craig Dobbin died in 2006, organic growth allowed CHC to become the highest revenue-generating helicopter operator in the world. In addition to its oil industry business, CHC now also performs search-and-rescue operations in Ireland and England and emergency medical services in Australia. “That came out of the oil and gas business,” says Mark Dobbin. “We did some searchand-rescue contracts with our oil industry customers. You use the same aircraft for offshore oil and gas support as you do for search and rescue. You’re flying multiengine IFR [instrument flight rules] equipment in an offshore environment.” CHC is one of the largest commercial helicopter operators in the world, with aircraft flying in more than 30 countries. Based in Richmond, British Columbia, the company’s core business is servicing the offshore oil and gas industry. CHC also provides search-and-rescue and emergency medical transportation services. CHC Chairman Mark Dobbin is the son of founder Craig Dobbin. Mark also is the founder and president of Killick Capital Inc., a Newfoundlandbased private equity firm. From 1998 to 2003 he was CEO of Vector Aerospace Corporation, an aviation repair and overhaul service. Prior to that, he held a number of positions at CHC over the course of 17 years, including senior vice president. Martin Lockyer is vice president, Legal Services and corporate secretary of CHC Helicopter Corporation where he has oversight of all legal operations. He was previously in private practice with a major Canadian Atlantic law firm where he served as outside counsel to CHC. His practice included corporate and commercial transactions and securities matters. Lockyer also is former vice chairman of a Canadian airport authority. Photo by Vatcher Photographic Family Business Despite its global reach, CHC is still very much a family company. Mark Dobbin, Craig’s son, is chairman, and has guided the company through the First Reserve acquisition. Growing up in the industry has given him a front-row seat to its evolution. “It has professionalized,” he says. “The helicopter industry is akin to the airline industry, except maybe five years behind. The airline industry also went through a phase when it was managed by people who grew up in the industry and just loved aviation.” Initially, the aviation industry was populated by people who truly loved aviation and were motivated by that love. But the level of professionalism, particularly in management, has risen steadily through the years, and that maturation has brought discipline and new opportunities to the industry. Mark Dobbin, CHC Helicopter Corporation When the company went public back in 1987, Mark Dobbin was doing international marketing for CHC. Terence Dobbin was a junior associate on the file. “We had a closing dinner for the IPO,” Terence recalls. “We laughed at the time that we were put at the kids’ table. All the important guys were in the main room, while Mark and I were stuck out in the hallway. I don’t think either one of us thought then that we’d end up in the positions we are in now. I never thought I’d become the principal legal adviser to them.” Long-Term Partnership Since his early work on the IPO, Terence Dobbin has seen CHC through acquisitions, dispositions and the vast array of legal issues a growing transnational business encounters. “Now I’ve seen it through to a very successful conclusion for its shareholders,” he says. “As a lawyer you don’t often get to www.martindale.com/c2c SEptEmbEr 2008 05 http://www.martindale.com/c2c
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