Lifetime Achievement Awards

Hugh Mackenzie

Early in his career, Hugh Mackenzie had a leadership role in Wilderness Tours’ substantial growth, moving from a river experience to a full-fledged resort, complete with major capital projects and a large team. In Kingston, he reinvigorated the iconic 1000 Islands tour, steering the community toward new experiences and markets, with a focus on culinary and entertainment offerings.

Innovation has been a hallmark of Hugh Mackenzie's career. He introduced creative tourism programs, shifting the focus to dining cruises, the "hop-on, hop-off" Trolley model, and the K-Pass to enhance the visitor experience. His influence has not been limited to Kingston; he has shared best practices with operators and communities, fostering industry growth and collaboration across North America.

Hugh Mackenzie's commitment to the greater good is evident through his involvement in initiatives like Kingston Accommodation Partners and the creation of the Municipal Accommodation Tax model. He advocated for regulatory changes and successfully influenced government decisions to support tourism during the pandemic.

Moreover, Hugh Mackenzie's passion for nurturing talent is reflected in his support of career pathways for new recruits and his mentorship, leading to the growth and empowerment of many employees within Kingston Destination Group and beyond.

William (Bill) Knowlton

A seasoned professional and accomplished leader with more than five decades in the industry, Bill’s storied career has taken him from tour directing for Tauck Tours in the 1970’s to becoming a partner at Jonview Canada, where he was instrumental in growing the company to become one of the country’s leading inbound receptive tour operators.

Bill served as Jonview’s EVP from 2017 to 2022, after leading sales, marketing and product development for almost three decades as VP Marketing and Sales. He pioneered the expansion of the company’s product base, introducing a new product approach to cater to the emerging market for independent travelers. Bill firmly believed that creating trusting relationships with clients and suppliers alike was critical to long term success. As such, he regularly travelled within Canada as well as attending international trade shows and spent weeks each year visiting clients in person in their offices.

Bill has also been a major contributor to tourism boards such as Destination Canada and Destination Ontario, and an active member of various committees and volunteer organizations that have led towards the improvement of the industry as a whole; including serving on TIAC’s Board of Directors from 2003 to 2009, in addition to multiple terms in the late 1980’s into the 1990’s, as well.

William R. Fatt – Posthumously Awarded

Mr. Fatt was Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of FRHI Hotels & Resorts from January 5, 1998 until July 12, 2016. During this time, Mr. Fatt has led the transformation of the company from a small chain of almost 30 luxury hotels in Canada with 10,000 employees, to a global hotel management company that today operates in 34 countries and boasts more than 110 hotels, 42,000 guestrooms and a global workforce of 45,000 colleagues. Under three leading brands, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, FRHI operates world-class hotels in premier destinations including iconic hotels like The Savoy in London, The Plaza in New York City and Raffles Singapore. Prior to becoming Chairman & CEO, Mr. Fatt served as CFO of Canadian Pacific Limited, the parent company of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ predecessor, Canadian Pacific Hotels.  

FRHI was created from the merger of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Raffles Hotels & Resorts after Fairmont was taken private in 2006 by Kingdom Holding Company and Colony Capital. Since being taken private, FRHI has sold over $3.5 billion of hotel real estate and rapidly grown its international portfolio of managed luxury hotels, resorts, branded estates and luxury private residence club properties. The company’s principal shareholders are now Katara Hospitality and Kingdom Holding Company.  

Among the milestones Mr. Fatt has overseen as Chairman & CEO of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and FRHI are the following:  

• The spinoff via an Initial Public Offering of approximately C$1 billion of hotel assets into a publicly traded REIT to raise capital to fund international expansion.  

• Multiple hotel real estate and brand acquisitions and dispositions in furtherance of the company’s growth and internationalization, including the acquisition of Delta Hotels & Resorts in 1998 (and later sale in 2007), Princess Hotels and the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts brand.  

• The stewardship as CEO of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as a publicly listed company on the NYSE and TSX from an initial market capitalization of C$1.2 billion in 2001 to its privatization in 2006 at a market capitalization of C$4.3 billion.  

• The merger in 2006 of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts with Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and the transformation of the company to an ‘asset-light’ brand management and hotel operating platform.  

• The negotiation in 2009/2010 of a strategic investment in the company by Qatar Diar during the most severe downturn in the hotel industry’s history which has positioned the company for further growth and expansion.  

Mr. Fatt has over 30 years of finance, investment and capital markets experience. He is a director of The Jim Pattison Group, the Bank of Nova Scotia and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Previously, Mr. Fatt was Chairman of the Board of Cadillac Fairview Corporation and, a director of EnCana Corporation, SunLife Financial Inc. and Enbridge Inc.  

Mr. Fatt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from York University, Toronto.  

Bob Sparrow

Bob joined the Norwood Hotel fifty years ago in 1969. The Norwood Hotel began as a neighbourhood gathering place and over time has seen a number of additions including new meeting and guest rooms. Bob was involved with the expansion of the business that now includes Inn at the Forks, Mere Hotel, the ERA Restaurant and food services for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The company has been rebranded to Sparrow Hotels and is under the direction of Ben Sparrow (CEO), Bob and wife Diane’s son.

Nancy Stibbard

As owner and CEO of the Capilano Group, Nancy was inducted into Canada’s Tourism Hall of Fame in September 2007. Nancy’s vision ‘to create experiences that people are amazed by’ means she is always seeking new ways to “wow” her guests. At Capilano that has meant two major additions: Treetops Adventure in 2004 and Cliffwalk in 2011. Both are unique, state-of-the-art, thrilling attractions, giving visitors reasons to return again and again.

Walter Oster

Walter served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MTCC from 1998 to 2017. He dedicated 29 years to public service and to the Convention Centre from 1988 to 2017. His enthusiasm, business acumen and commitment to public service are legendary.

Jack Robinson

Jack Robinson, past COO of the CN Tower, is quite literally a towering figure in Canadian tourism who has not only led one of our top national attractions to continued success, but he has done so in a manner that embodied the local and national spirit of partnership that has been his mark of true leadership.

Don Cudmore

Don Cudmore has been Executive Director of the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island (TIAPEI) for almost 20 years and an active employee, manager, volunteer and leader in the tourism industry for 43 years.

Lynda & Merv Gunter

Co-owners of Frontiers North Adventures with their son John, Merv and Lynda started Frontiers North Adventures after living in Churchill for four years in the early 1980s. They have grown the company from a staff of one to employ 15 year-round staff and up to an additional 50 seasonal staff.

David G. Morrison

David Morrison is a pioneer, builder and dynamic leader in the travel and tourism industry. Appointed President of Brewster Travel Canada in 1980, Morrison quickly positioned the company to become a leading tourism entity in Canada.

Chris Cahill

Executive Vice President of Global Operations for Las Vegas Sands Corp. While at Fairmont Raffles and its predecessor organizations, Mr. Cahill gained an international reputation for excellence as he led the company through several successful mergers as both president and chief operating officer.

Al Raine & Nancy Greene

Following their successful careers in downhill skiing, Senator Greene Raine and her husband Al were leaders in the development of Canada's ski tourism industry, including their instrumental roles in the early development of Whistler-Blackcomb and Sun Peaks in British Columbia.

Charles Lapointe

In 1989, he became president and chief executive officer of the Greater Montreal Convention and Tourism Bureau (Tourisme Montréal), retaining the position until his retirement in 2013. In 2002, he also became chairman of the Canadian Tourism Commission.