APPOINTMENTS
Michele Kempf/TTC Tour Brands
TTC Tour Brands announced changes to their sales team in Canada with the hiring of Michele Kempf as sales manager representing Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Kempf joins the team following the recent retirement of Ken Nickerson from his sales manager role after 16 years with The Travel Corporation.
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Michele brings more than seven years of experience in the tourism industry with a strong background in sales, operations and client relationship management. Fluent in English, French and German, she is passionate about connecting with travel advisors and creating meaningful partnerships.
Noah Case/VoX International
VoX International has appointed Noah Case to the role of account executive, Eastern Canada for Tourism Australia, based in Toronto.
Case began his career in the tourism industry with VoX as a summer intern and grew into a full-time position while completing his Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality and Tourism Management at George Brown College. His experience spans event coordination, marketing, and trade development, including representing destinations at industry trade shows, leading in-person training sessions for travel agents, and supporting logistics for events of all sizes.
In his new role, Case will support Tourism Australia’s travel trade efforts in Eastern Canada alongside Paul Larcher, the Tourism Australia account director for Canada, while working closely with Gustavo Inciarte, who continues to support Tourism Australia in the Western Canada market based in Vancouver.
He can be reached at Noah@voxinternational.com.
Monique Lalonde/TRAVELSAVERS Canada
TRAVELSAVERS Canada has promoted Monique Lalonde to senior director, strategic partnerships, a role the company said reflects her deep industry expertise, proven leadership and unwavering commitment to building meaningful partner relationships.
With over 35 years of experience in the travel industry and more than four years at TRAVELSAVERS Canada, Lalonde manages preferred supplier relationships and drives strategic growth. In her new position, she will lead the development of innovative strategies, cultivate new accounts, and continue to enhance the value TRAVELSAVERS Canada delivers to both its network and suppliers.
Samantha Gillingham/Bedsonline
Bedsonline US & Canada has named Samantha Gillingham as key account manager to support travel agencies and agents in Eastern Canada.
Gillingham has many years of travel industry experience with roles at Club Med, Sunwing and most recently at Jayne’s Luxury Rentals.
Robert Cole and William Duplak/Huntington Travel
Huntington Travel Group has appointed two industry veterans to its leadership team. William “Bill” Duplak (pictured on the far right) will now serve as as senior vice president – operations & client management and Robert Cole as vice president – global business development, effective immediately. These strategic hires signal a new phase of growth for the company, combining Duplak’s airline and commercial expertise with Cole’s global partnership acumen to elevate advisor support and expand market reach.
Duplak brings 30 years of airline and commercial leadership, including key roles as vice president of South Pacific at Voyzant, commercial lead for Qantas Airways and Finnair in Canada, and a 13-year tenure as regional general manager of South America. His appointment coincides with Huntington’s expansion into new cruise product lines and air sales initiatives, ensuring advisors have access to seamless, high-value travel solutions.
Cole, a 30 year travel industry veteran, joins from leadership roles held at Travelex Insurance Services and Allianz, where he focused on driving revenue growth and building strategic partnerships. In his new role, Cole will spearhead Huntington’s global business development efforts, forging alliances that empower advisors with best-in-class tools, inventory, and service.
Marc Sison, Bronwyn Hodge and Reesa Avelino/Goway Travel
Goway Travel has announced the appointment of three new vice presidents overseeing key destination markets across the globe. Bronwyn Hodge assumes the role of VP Africa & the Middle East, while Goway’s rapidly growing Europe division will be overseen by Marc Sison (VP Europe North) and Reesa Avelino (VP Europe South). They join VPs specializing in Asia (Moira Smith), the Americas (Sean Hebert), Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific (Anthony Saba), giving each Goway division its own dedicated VP.
Hodge brings over 12 years of experience at Goway, most recently as VP Communications to the role. Coming to Goway with over 13 years of experience in the travel industry, Sison has held leadership roles with Kensington Tours and the Kusini Collection. Avelino joined Goway Travel in 2018 as a product manager for Europe South and become became director of product in 2023.
Lindsay Pearlman/Travel Leaders Network
Travel Leaders Network has promoted Lindsay Pearlman, currently serving as senior vice president and chief operating officer, to the role of president. He will be succeeding John Lovell, who announced his departure recently to take on a new role with Virgin Voyages.
Pearlman joined the company in 2019 to work with international partners and later took on responsibility for managing relationships with associate members. He previously served as co-president of Ensemble Travel Group and held executive roles at American Express.
Suzanne Acton-Gervais/ACTA
ACTA has named Suzanne Acton-Gervais as its new president. The announcement comes following an extensive and thorough recruitment process, with Acton-Gervais taking on her new role on July 10, 2025. She succeeds Wendy Paradis, who announced her retirement earlier this year.
Acton-Gervais most recently served as Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Regulatory Affairs at the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC). Previously she held roles at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Airports Council International (ACI World), Transport Canada and Air Canada. She has extensive experience in advocacy with federal and foreign governments and now looks forward to continued engagement with the federal government as well as with provincial governments from coast to coast to coast.
Acton-Gervais stepped in as Interim President of NACC during the pandemic and led Canada’s airline sector through an unprecedented period and helping to guide the reopening of aviation.
She also collaborated with Paradis as part of the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable, a national advocacy initiative focused on recovery across the broader travel and tourism industry.
John Lovell/Virgin Voyages
John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Network, is leaving the company at the end of June for a new opportunity with Virgin Voyages, where he has been appointed board member and senior advisor.
Lovell’s appointment comes as the cruise line targets a significant increase in advisor-driven revenue, continued global market expansion and prepares for the launch of its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, in September 2025.
His expertise will play a key role in shaping commercial strategy, advancing distribution capabilities and building even stronger advisor programs. Lovell will work directly with Virgin Voyages’ CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu to help scale commercial efforts, guide distribution strategy, and support global expansion efforts through 2025 and beyond. He will serve as a strategic advisor across a number of key growth priorities and serve as a thought partner to the existing commercial and sales leadership team, supporting and amplifying the momentum already underway.
Karen Hardie/Virtuoso
Virtuoso has announced Karen Hardie as general manager, Canada. An industry veteran, Hardie comes to Virtuoso as a strategic and collaborative executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in the global luxury travel industry.
She enters the role as former GM of Canada, Una O’Leary, steps into her new role as vice president, Global Partnerships.
Recognized among Canada’s Most Powerful Women (WXN 2016), Hardie brings a proven track record of success in growing B2B sales, deepening partner engagement and leading high-performing, multi-market teams across Canada, the U.S., Australasia and Europe. Most recently, Hardie served as vice president, global sales for Rocky Mountaineer, and prior to that as director, global sales operations and director of sales for the U.S. and Mexico for the same organization. Her experience also includes executive roles with Jetset Travelworld Group and Orion Expedition Cruises, North America and Australia.
Hardie will lead the regional business strategy across Canada including member and partner growth and engagement. She will be based in Vancouver, Canada and joins on June 16, 2025, reporting to Londregan.
Lora Hamre & Cynthia Taylor/Envoyage
Envoyage has welcomed Lora Hamre as business development manager and Cynthia Taylor as a member support agent.
Hamre brings more than 24 years of travel industry experience across the retail and wholesale sectors. She has a strong track record in strategic sales, partnership development, and program innovation. Her leadership roles at VoX International, The Travel Corporation, and other respected organizations have helped shape high-impact travel experiences and results-driven marketing programs that resonate with consumers and trade partners.
Meanwhile, Taylor brings more than 14 years of experience in the travel industry and joins the Member Support Team, where she assists Envoyage advisors with the day-to-day aspects of running their businesses.
Peter Lacy/CATO
The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) has appointed Peter Lacy, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Goway Travel, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Lacy brings decades of leadership and industry expertise to the organization during a pivotal time for Canadian outbound travel.
As part of Goway’s senior management team, Lacy brings over 35 years of extensive travel industry experience to the role. He has been instrumental in driving strategic growth and operational change across multiple distribution channels, including trade and retail, as well as in both leisure and corporate travel sectors. His leadership has spanned diverse geographic markets, including North America and Australasia, providing him with a broad and valuable perspective on the global travel landscape.
Lucy Sabella & Sylvia Costa/ACV
Lucy Sabella, vice-president of operations, Air Canada Vacations, is retiring, effective Aug. 1, 2025. Sabella’s 39-year career reflects remarkable growth, resilience, and people-centred leadership. Starting in customer relations, she progressed through the organization to become vice-president of operations, helping modernize systems, improve the customer experience, and strengthen industry partnerships.
Air Canada Vacations also announced the appointment of Sylvia Costa as senior director, operations, effective Aug. 1, 2025.
Costa brings strong operational expertise and leadership experience, having served as director, customer contact centre excellence at Air Canada since 2022 and having previously led key departments at Air Canada Vacations as director, customer experience (2014–2022) and interim head of operations (2019–2020). Her collaborative style and commitment to service excellence make her well equipped to lead the operations team forward.
Amanda Ierfino/WestJet
Effective June 1, Amanda Ierfino will take on the role of Vice-President, Sales & Cargo at WestJet. Ierfino has been a key driver in the development and execution of WestJet’s corporate and agency sales strategy, leveraging the airline’s strong presence in Calgary and building valuable partnerships across the industry. In her expanded role, Ierfino will continue to lead the Sales team while also taking on leadership of WestJet’s Cargo operations.
With the planned transition away from dedicated freighter operations taking place later this year, the Cargo team will shift its focus to maximizing the potential of belly cargo services. Bringing Sales and Cargo together under Amanda’s leadership will create a more unified approach to WestJet’s B2B strategy, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to commercial excellence, operational efficiency and a strong focus on partnerships.
Nicole Conrad/BermudAir
Nicole Conrad has been hired to lead business development efforts across BermudAir’s corporate, TMC, and MICE segments. She will also oversee the Canadian market, supporting route developments such as the upcoming launch of Montreal to Bermuda on June 12 offering twice weekly service and increased Halifax frequencies, while continuing to strengthen the already established Toronto service. Conrad’s extensive experience in international business, most recently as Director of Conferences and Events at Bermuda Business Development Agency, will be instrumental in growing these high-potential segments
Úna O’Leary/Virtuoso
Virtuoso has promoted Úna O’Leary to vice president, global partnerships; a role in which she will oversee the continued expansion of Virtuoso’s preferred partner portfolio across the world. O’Leary will bring her proven leadership and deep understanding of the luxury travel landscape to support the network’s long-term strategic growth. Her appointment underscores the organization’s focus on global alignment, scalable growth and partner success across the nine regions in which Virtuoso operates.
She will continue to be based in Toronto, Canada, reflecting Virtuoso’s commitment to strengthening its global presence with senior executive leadership. Since joining Virtuoso as the organization’s first general manager, Canada, O’Leary has played a pivotal role in establishing Canada as its own market within the Virtuoso network. Under her guidance, the region has experienced notable growth in member engagement, partner relationships and overall performance. In her new role within the organization, O’Leary will now report to Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships Cory Hagopian.
Priscilla Reyes/Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises has promoted Priscilla Reyes to head of sales for North America effective May 1, 2025. In this role, she will oversee strategic and national accounts, charter and incentives, and field sales, working closely with Costa’s team of business development managers focusing on the Italian brand’s footprint in North America.
Reyes will report to Dario Rustico, general manager North & South America for Costa Cruises. She replaces LaDonna Allen who departed the company to pursue further opportunities. Reyes was appointed head of sales from her role as a business development manager with Costa where she worked closely with the cruise line’s largest trade accounts. Prior to joining the company in January 2024, Reyes was immersed in sales and client experience for more than 20 years in positions of increasing responsibility.
Craig Landry; Mark Nasr; Mark Galardo/Air Canada
Effective May 1, certain senior executive management responsibilities at Air Canada will be realigned.
- Craig Landry, previously Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, has been appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer and President of Aeroplan. In his new role, Landry will oversee the corporation’s technology functions, spearheading innovation to improve customer experience, with responsibility for digital, data, cyber security, and artificial intelligence functions. As President of Aeroplan, he will continue to drive Aeroplan’s vision as Canada’s leading travel loyalty program.
- Mark Nasr, previously Executive Vice President, Marketing & Digital and President, Aeroplan, has been appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer. In his new role, Nasr will assume responsibility to optimize all aspects of a safe, reliable and efficient operation, while elevating the customer experience throughout Air Canada’s worldwide network. His responsibilities include Flight Operations, Maintenance and Engineering, Airports, In-Flight Service, Contact Centres, International Operations, Regional Express Carriers, and Onboard Cabins and Systems groups.
- Mark Galardo, previously Executive Vice President, Revenue & Network Planning and President, Cargo, has been appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and President, Cargo. In addition to his current role, Galardo will also be responsible for Marketing, leading the design and development of the Air Canada brand.
Aaron Levine/Zebrano Travel
Zebrano Travel has appointed Aaron Levine as Vice President Operations & Strategic Partnerships at Zebrano Travel effective April 7, 2025.
With more than 24 years of experience in the travel industry, Levine’s dedication to providing luxury clients with exceptional experiences will be an asset to strengthening Zebrano Travel’s mission of providing personalized luxury travel concierge services to ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients.
Levine comes to Zebrano Travel from Laurier Du Vallon Rosedale with Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), where he was most recently Network Manager with responsibilities of leading a team of employees across Canada. Levine has extensive experience with client management, strategic relationships and team management.
