Jan. 20, 2023, Ottawa ON – The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is announcing today the addition of five new members to its Board of Directors: Matthew Jelley, President, Maritime Fun Group​; Philip Mondor, President, Tourism HR Canada;​ Jean-François Côté, President, Quebec City Tourism​; John Wilson, President, Chief Executive Officer, Wilson's Transportation, BC​; and Laura Pallotta,Vice President Sales and Distribution, Marriott International.

Elected at TIAC’s recent Annual General Meeting, the new Board members will begin serving immediately. Each of these new Board members brings with them a unique perspective and the same unyielding drive to contribute to the recovery of the sector. “I am excited to welcome these five incredible leaders as new colleagues on TIAC’s Board of Directors,” says Beth Potter, President & CEO, TIAC. “These individuals will add tremendous value to the organization with their particular expertise at this pivotal time of rebuilding. ”

The organization is also announcing its new all-female Board executive team:

Chair: Nina Kressler, Shaw Centre
Vice Chair: Michelle Caine, Centennial College
Vice Chair: Teresa Ryder, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada

“With the election of these new members on the Board, TIAC is working hard to ensure gender parity and advance the role of women in positions of leadership within the industry,” says Potter. “The future is female.” TIAC’s Board of Director’s now has nine female directors and seven male directors.


Biographies of New Members Joining TIAC’s Board of Directors:

• Laura Pallotta – Laura is the Vice President Sales and Distribution for Marriott International. In this role, Laura leads Marriott’s revenue generation and sales strategy for Canada, partnering with corporate marketing, revenue management, and global sales to bring Marriott’s sales and marketing platforms and programs to the brand’s more than 220 Canadian hotels. With over 25 years of hospitality experience, she has spent 12 years in leadership positions at Delta Hotels and Resorts and in 2017 she led the transformation of the Marriott sales organization in Canada, integrating Delta Hotels and Starwood Hotels with Marriott’s portfolio of hotels.
  
  
• Matthew Jelley – Matthew is the President of Maritime Fun Group, the largest collection of privately-owned attractions in the Maritimes; in addition to being the Co-Founder, President and CEO, of Tidal Event Management Systems, an integrated provider of online and onsite payment systems for festivals and events. With an academic background in economics and law, he has spent the past two decades with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

• Philip Mondor – Philip is the President of Tourism HR Canada, the pan-Canadian organization mandated to build a world-leading tourism workforce. He is a recognized labour market specialist with more than 25 years of experience working with labour market stakeholders across Canada and abroad, including foreign governments and global organizations. His expertise extends beyond the tourism industry, with projects in both the regulated and non-regulated sectors.

• Jean-François Côté – Jean-François is the President of Quebec City Tourism​. He holds decades of experience; having served previously as Owner of Cotico Inc. (Quality Inn, Comfort Inn, and Unilofts), Owner of Hotels Novelle-France, and President of Carnaval de Quebec in his many years in the tourism industry. He has been serving his current role at the head of Quebec City Tourism since 2019.
  
  
• John Wilson – John is the President and CEO of Wilson's Transportation, which operates the largest fleet of buses on Vancouver Island – more than 150 vehicles situated from Victoria to Campbell River, as well as Vancouver. The company owns and operates the Grayline Sightseeing franchise for Vancouver Island; in addition to the YYJ Airport Shuttle for Victoria, The Mount Washington Ski Bus Service, and the B.C Ferry Connector Service. He holds more than 35 years in the motorcoach, school bus, and sightseeing industries; and has experience in unionized and non-unionized work environments.

As TIAC’s Board continues to serve and influence the organization, its membership is developing in its diversity of backgrounds and skills to reflect the industry and the members it serves. “I am thrilled at the level of expertise the new members to our Board of Directors hold and am looking forward to the work we will do together in the coming weeks and months to ensure the most robust recovery possible for the industry,” says Potter. “I thank all 17 candidates who took the time to apply.”

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Media Contact:
Mary Wimmer
Director, Communications & Media Relations
Tourism Industry Association of Canada
t: 613-238-7887 ext. 8765
e: mwimmer@tiac-aitc.ca