The Volaris Executive Growth Academy introduces our senior leaders to the latest management research and strengthens their professional networks
Every year since 2023, a cohort of more than 20 high-potential senior leaders at Volaris has been invited to take part in the Volaris Executive Growth Academy (VEGA). The leadership development program is offered in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, one of the world’s top-ranked universities.
“Our most senior leaders spend significant amounts of their time and effort supporting their team’s learning and development,” said Volaris Group CEO Mike Dufton. “This program is one where they can step back and take time to reflect on how they can be better and more engaged senior executives.”
VEGA is designed to bring cutting-edge research and insight from academics to our team of software industry leaders. It’s a great way for us to enable new ways of thinking, calibrate our knowledge, and help our teams hone new skills.
-Mike Dufton, CEO, Volaris Group
Reinforcing management fundamentals
VEGA is one of the Volaris programs that is most highly rated by our leaders. Lectures cover several foundational management skills, including strategic thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, leading, coaching and motivating teams, negotiations, executive presence, having difficult conversations, and topics that are specific to Volaris, such as value investing and customer centricity. Participants also participate in strategic planning and work through case studies.
“It is very inspiring to come here,” said Olga Reviejo Jaca, who started the VEGA program in summer 2025 as the General Manager of Cactus Utilities. By the time the second session of VEGA resumed in fall 2025, she had been promoted to Group Leader. “I really like having training based on professors and research, because the perspective shared here is not the same as what you might get from a consultant.”
“VEGA takes us back to first principles and the theory behind what we do as leaders,” says Dwight Don, a Group Leader who participated in the 2025 cohort.
Andrew Jones, CEO of Click, agreed: “There is just so much logic in the learnings. When you take a step back and realize how you might need to course correct things slightly, I think it will result in a refinement in certain ways of working.”
Christian Gutierrez, General Manager of Centurisk, took lessons from a session about setting strategic priorities. “As a leader, you get pulled in a million different directions. My calendar is critical to my day-to-day – and so I think if that is such a critical part of how I’m accomplishing what I need to during the day, then it needs to be clear what the priorities are.”
Dwight Don was inspired by a session about motivating teams. “Especially with remote teams that are geographically dispersed, the challenge is, how do you build connection and engagement? My team has changed over time, going from having more experienced senior leaders to more junior team members. So I need to modify my style and approach to cater to those different levels of experience.”
Learning occurs at all levels in our organization—it’s a core part of our culture.
-Mike Dufton, CEO, Volaris Group
Strengthening self-reflection and professional support networks
Throughout the two weeks of the program, leaders are encouraged to self-reflect—a practice that is both valuable and necessary for unlocking personal growth.
“The ‘why’ comes back to you during these sessions,” Don continues. “When we reflect on how these lessons apply to how we can improve, we can come up with new ideas and strategies to take back to our business.”
Recognizing that learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom, the VEGA program also fosters small group discussions during evening events where participants can form new connections and add to their personal support networks within Volaris.
“I think the networking part of this program is just as important as the content,” said Don. “It is valuable to build relationships with other leaders who could be the future of the organization going forward.”
It’s a very satisfying experience to be in a room with other leaders from across Volaris.
-Chris Gutierrez, General Manager, Centurisk
“When I look at the people here at VEGA, there’s not a lot of arrogance in the room,” said Jones. “People are humble, analytical, and driven, and what is great about Volaris is that those are the type of people who are given an opportunity to be successful at the company.”
Volaris Group has a long history of fostering learning opportunities for our leaders at work. As we continue to offer professional development opportunities for our leaders, we will continue to draw lessons from the success of VEGA.
