fbpx

Keynote Speaker

 

ERIC TERMUENDE

Future of Work Expert

Wednesday February 21st, 2024 at 9:00am
Salon B & D, Delta Hotel & Conference Centre

 

Eric Termuende is a best-selling author, internationally recognized thought leader, and keynote speaker on all things future of work, leadership, workplace culture, and talent management. After years spent studying the world’s greatest places to work, he has deciphered what sets amazing leaders apart from the rest, and what it takes to build incredible teams that are resilient, innovative, and ready for the future.

His research and insights have inspired category-leading companies like Amazon, Coca-Cola, Nationwide, IBM, Zoom, Nokia, John Deere, and Toyota, to name a few. Eric’s perspectives and accomplishments have also been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and many other prominent publications.

In addition to the hundreds of keynotes he has delivered around the world, Eric is an entrepreneur and leader in his own right. As co-founder of NoW of Work, Eric has been named one of the world’s Top 100 Emerging Innovators by American Express, making him a trusted resource as we collectively navigate the future of work together.

Eric’s keynotes aren’t just engaging and insightful, they’re a fun, practical journey loaded with actionable takeaways that audiences can implement right away. Those that attend Eric’s keynotes often share that his refreshing, down-to-earth messaging not only gets them excited about the future, but also provides the practical tools and know-how to build teams and thrive in it.

 

Special Guests

 

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, MP

 

Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

Thursday February 22nd, 2024 at 8:30 am in Salon B & D: Ministerial Address & Fireside Chat

 

Represents the riding of Hochelaga

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Hochelaga in 2019. She has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing), as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

For over 20 years, Minister Martinez Ferrada has been a strong voice for her community and for building a growing local economy and thriving cultural sector. For example, she created the very first cultural and socio-professional integration program at TOHU, a centre for the performing arts and a unique example of sustainable development in Montréal.

Minister Martinez Ferrada was involved in municipal politics for more than 10 years. In 2005, she was elected as a city councillor for Saint-Michel and was appointed to the City of Montréal’s Executive Committee as the Associate Advisor for Culture. From 2015 to 2018, she served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Minister Martinez Ferrada holds a Master’s degree in management from the HEC Montréal. A resident of the east end of Montréal since she came to Canada from Chile as a political refugee with her family in 1980, she is a proud mother of two.

 

The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey

Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and Leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Wednesday February 21st, 2024 at 12:30 pm in Salon A & C: Provincial Luncheon

 

Born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Premier Dr. Andrew Furey is a passionate orthopaedic trauma surgeon and educator with Memorial University’s School of Medicine.

Premier Furey has a diverse education, which includes a Diploma in Organizational Leadership from Oxford University and a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology from Memorial. His strong work ethic has earned him many local, provincial, and national awards and honours. He was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross and earned the Governor General of Canada’s Meritorious Service Cross.

In 2010, he helped create Team Broken Earth to provide medical relief after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. This Newfoundland and Labrador-born charity has since expanded in size and scope. Today, over 1,500 volunteers from across Canada, the US, and UK have participated in medical missions to Haiti as well as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. On top of that, Premier Furey helped found A Dollar A Day Foundation to support mental health initiatives across Canada.

Premier Furey enjoys spending time with his wife, Allison, and their children Maggie, Rachael and Mark. He credits his family for helping him stay grounded and maintain his perspective on what matters most – love, empathy, and making a difference.

 

 

The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, MP

 

Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Thursday February 22nd, 2024 at 7:30 pm in the Avalon Ballroom: Tourism Excellence Awards Gala

 

Represents the riding of Long Range Mountains

The Honourable Gudie Hutchings was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains in 2015. Minister Hutchings previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism. She was also one of the original members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

Born and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Minister Hutchings is proud to call the Humber Valley home. Her focus on consultation, the development of local employees, and sustainable environmental practices makes her a strong advocate for the business owners, workers, and families of Long Range Mountains.

Minister Hutchings has strong community ties and over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry. She spent a decade as a board member for the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association, where she served as both President and Vice-President. She was also Chair and Managing Director of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, an organization committed to protecting and promoting the history, integrity, and natural environment of Battle Harbour.

Minister Hutchings was President of the Greater Corner Brook Chamber of Commerce and a founding board member of the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations. She was also Co-Chair of Forget-Me-Not, a community group dedicated to raising money to honour past and present soldiers at Remembrance Square in Corner Brook.

 

Speakers

Andrew Gibbons | WestJet | Vice-President, External Affairs

Andrew (Andy) Gibbons is WestJet’s Ottawa-based Vice-President of External Affairs.  A nationally recognized leader in advocacy and government relations, Andy leads the WestJet Group’s external relations with a broad range of government, industry and stakeholder partners. Since starting with WestJet in 2012, Andy has worked to build WestJet’s reputation as a transparent and trusted partner.  At the heart of this has been working with Canada’s federal and provincial governments on legislative, regulatory and policy developments impacting WestJet and the Canadian aviation industry.

 

Ashlynn Burry | PAL Airlines |Vice President, Commercial Operations

Ashlynn Burry is an accomplished corporate leader with over 10 years of experience in the aviation industry. Ashlynn began her career in aviation with an assurance advisory role at Deloitte where she advised the PAL Group of Companies. This role led to a full time move to PAL during the PAL Group sale to Exchange Income Corporation, where she led several acquisitions to support PAL on its path to vertical integration including the purchase of MFC Training, a professional flight school located in New Brunswick.

In her current role at PAL Airlines as Vice President, Commercial Operations she is responsible for leading the commercial strategy of PAL Airlines in Atlantic Canada, leading the teams responsible for above and below the wing operations, network planning, customer service, sales, and business development.  Ashlynn is also a member of the Air Borealis Board of Directors.

Deborah Bourden | Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador | Chair

Owner/Operator of Alphabet Fleet Inn B&B and Anchor Inn Hotel & Suites in Twillingate

Deborah is a passionate promoter of Newfoundland and Labrador as a unique tourism destination and especially her hometown of “Twillingate”. The first summer after High School she worked at the Twillingate Museum under the careful direction of Twillingate Tourism pioneer Lorna Stuckless and was forever bitten by the tourism bug. It just took her a while to find her way back to the industry that she first loved.

She is the co-owner/operator of the award-winning Anchor Inn Hotel and Suites, Vacation Homes; Amber Retreat and Above the Tickle and the Bed and Breakfast, Alphabet Fleet Inn, all located in Twillingate.

Marsha Walden | Destination Canada | President and CEO

Marsha’s career spans leadership roles in strategy and organizational renewal, marketing and communications, corporate social responsibility, operations management, and business innovation. She has worked with enterprises in many of Canada’s flagship industries and found her true calling in tourism.

Marsha joined Destination Canada as President and CEO in August 2020 in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is proud to lead a team of passionate professionals who share a common purpose of inspiring those with glowing hearts to fall in love with Canada – enriching the lives of visitors and enhancing the quality of life of Canadians. Previously, Marsha led the team at Destination British Columbia, initiating ground-breaking strategies for tourism development and data-driven performance marketing.

Beth Potter | Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) | President & CEO

Beth Potter is an accomplished leader with over 35 years of diversified provincial, national association experience, and close to 20 years in the tourism sector. In March of 2021, Beth joined the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), with a vision to heighten the awareness of the industry across Canada, and to strengthen the organization’s advocacy objectives and results as the sector works through and post the COVID-19 pandemic. At the international level, Beth is an active member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) COVID-19 Taskforce and Government Affairs working group. As a testament to her leadership in the industry, Beth was awarded the 2022 Canadian Live Music Industry’s “Unsung Hero” Award for her work as co-chair of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses and was recently named one of the Top 50 Women in Travel by the Global Business Travel Association.

Susie Grynol | Hotel Association of Canada | President & CEO

Susie launched her career in the association sector at the National Association of Consulting Engineering Companies in 2005. There she quickly rose through the ranks from Coordinator to Vice-President, overseeing government relations, media relations, events, conferences, and membership. She was recruited in 2013 by the Retail Council of Canada, one of Canada’s largest trade associations, as Vice President of Federal Government Relations, head of the Ottawa office, and lead spokesperson for the retail industry on Federal issues in Ottawa.

For three years in a row, Susie has been named one of Canada’s top 100 lobbyists by the Hill Times. In the last two years alone, she has won 5 national awards for the Association’s COVID response, including a Pinnacle Award and a Hospitality Hero award from Kostech Media and two Awards of Excellence from the Canadian Society of Association Executives to name a few.

In her current role, Susie has driven a successful turn-around strategy, building the association’s profile, influence and membership to record levels. Under her leadership, HAC membership has grown by nearly 3000%, and has delivered landslide political wins for the sector.

Philip Mondor | Tourism HR Canada | President & CEO

Philip is an accomplished leader with nearly 35 years of experience working with labour market stakeholders across Canada and abroad. His work spans over 15 industrial sectors and in 11 countries, with most of his career focused on the tourism industry.   Philip is an industry representative to the Deputy Minister’s Advisory Council, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Currently, he is an advisory member of the Labour Market Information Council and a Board member of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Throughout his career, he has been called upon to offer input to various workforce policy directives with governments and associations. Philip has worked with a variety of boards and committees, and volunteers for causes that help advance workforce issues and improve opportunities for people to engage in community and meaningful employment.

 

Keith Henry | Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)| President & CEO

Keith is a Métis person that was born in Thompson, Manitoba and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
He began his career in 1995 with teaching positions and has become well known for his strategic administrative and negotiations skills. Since 1998 Mr. Henry has led numerous provincial, federal and industry negotiations on a variety of issues. He has been personally responsible for financial administration of several Indigenous non-profits and has a proven track record of success.
Mr. Henry has become an international Indigenous cultural tourism leader receiving Indigenous recognition as the former CEO for Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia (AtBC). In April 2014, the inaugural World Indigenous Tourism Alliance award recognized the work of AtBC and Mr. Henry’s leadership. Mr. Henry has been spearheading the growth of authentic Indigenous tourism in Canada as he worked to redevelop the national Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada as elected chair when this organization incorporated in April 2015. In October 2015 Mr. Henry took the full-time role as the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s President and CEO.

Craig Foley | Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador | Chief Executive Officer  

Craig FoleyCraig Foley, Chief Executive Officer of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, has been working within Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism industry for more than 21 years. Having held numerous positions on industry boards and committees, Craig believes collaborative partnerships are the best approach to advance the tourism industry and the operations of those working within it. Recognizing the potential of tourism to positively impact the economy and way of life for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, and with extensive experience in strategic planning, development and implementation, Craig works tirelessly to ensure sustainable industry development and growth.

Carol-Ann Gilliard | Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation | Assistant Deputy Minister

Carol-Ann Gilliard has served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Tourism and Recreation since October 2021. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Sector Diversification with the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology. When she joined the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015, she served as the Director of Tourism Product Development, where she led the Provincial Tourism Product Development Plan. Before that, Carol-Ann served as the CEO of Hospitality NL for seven years during which time she helped lead the development and implementation of the 10-year provincial tourism vision, Uncommon Potential. Leading up to that, she served in various policy, communications and management roles with Hospitality NL and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

Search

How do I?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.