Year: 2026

Dame Pania Tyson-Nathan

Pania Tyson-Nathan is the Chief Executive of New Zealand Māori Tourism (NZMT) and brings over 30 years of leadership in Māori business and economic development. A respected advocate for indigenous enterprise, she has been instrumental—alongside many peers—in elevating Māori tourism as a powerful and distinctive contributor to Aotearoa’s tourism economy…. Read more

Mat Woods

Mat is currently the Chief Executive at Destination Queenstown & Lake Wānaka Tourism (DQ). Before joining DQ, Mat was Head of Sales & Services at Cardrona Alpine Resort (CARL) and Treble Cone Ski Area. He was involved in the acquisition of Treble Cone, securing the rights to develop into the… Read more

Deirdre Campbell

As president of Canadian-based tartanbond, Deirdre has been entrenched in the integrated communications business for more than 24 years, specializing in sustainable tourism and destination marketing.  In 2017, Tartan merged with the tigerbond, a UK based PR agency with over 40 years of experience.  This allowed Deirdre to expand her… Read more

Greg Takehara

Greg has been the CEO of Tourism Cares since 2019. He previously served on its Board, acting as its Chairman before becoming CEO. Prior to Tourism Cares, Greg was the President of Trip Mate, Inc., a travel insurance administrator. His career has spanned thirty-four years in the travel industry. Greg… Read more

Brad Parsell

Brad Parsell was born in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and grew up in Brisbane, Australia. After graduating university with a double major in Management and Marketing, Brad spent almost a decade working in the music industry before switching careers into tourism around 2013. Brad was based in Fernie, BC for almost… Read more

Teresa Ryder

Teresa is proud to be of Musqueam descent. Upon finishing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology at Simon Fraser University, Teresa has spent more than 10 years in Indigenous tourism development, starting her career with Indigenous Tourism BC. She has worked with Indigenous tourism operators and partners to grow… Read more

Walt Judas

Walt has been involved in the tourism industry for over 35 years and joined the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) in May 2015. As CEO, Walt leads multiple advocacy/policy files, sets the strategic course for TIABC, builds relationships with members and industry stakeholders, and communicates the value of… Read more

Paul Nursey

Paul Nursey is a highly accomplished tourism marketing, strategy, and branding expert who is widely regarded as one of Canada’s top tourism policy minds. Since joining Destination Greater Victoria in 2014, Paul has led DGV to numerous significant accomplishments, including: -Co-founding the IMPACT Sustainability Travel and Tourism Conference. -Aligning DGV… Read more

Mayor Marianne Alto

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto is a facilitator by trade with university degrees in law and science.  Marianne was first elected to Victoria City Council in 2010 and elected as Mayor in 2022. As an advocate for community wellbeing, Mayor Alto facilitates work to create an intentionally transformed City. Her persistent advocacy on increasing… Read more

Mikey Sadowski

Mikey Sadowski is the Vice President of Global Communications at Intrepid Travel, a B Corp certified, purpose-driven tour operator. Mikey is involved in shaping the brand’s global positioning, advocacy and communications as a leader in responsible travel. Outside of Intrepid, he is a contributor, invited lecturer and advisory board member… Read more