Wanda Bogdane
As a panelist, Wanda will be exploring the theme of ‘Developing the Climate Resiliency of a Destination & Supporting Recovery’.
President and Chief Consultant, Aspire Strategic Inc. Wanda Bogdane is a passionate leader who fuels innovation across communications, strategic planning and policy development.
Though involved in the City of Calgary’s community response to the 2013 floods and various shorter-term crises, it was during the pandemic when her crisis communications and emergency response skills kicked into high gear.
Providing support as one of the lead stakeholders enabling Banff National Park’s business continuity and workforce safety standards, Wanda moved from Director of Communications for the Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association (BLLHA) into the Executive Director role at a pivotal time. In these contract roles (supported through her business Aspire Strategic Inc.) Wanda embraced the learnings honed over years of assisting industry during the pandemic and curated a one-of-a-kind Emergency Preparedness Series for tourism operators in Banff National Park. With the support of her team, the series took an all-hazards approach and garnered participation from all levels of government to ensure fulsome knowledge-sharing was delivered to industry. Additionally, Wanda initiated the crisis communications framework for the destination, capturing the best practices and lessons learned from the pandemic and other local incidents.
With a love of connecting others, Wanda is driven by community and helping tourism be a force for good. When not running her consultancy, she can be found enjoying the mountains or in the company of animals.