Careers


  • AIR CANADA’S ROUSSEAU ELECTED STAR ALLIANCE CHAIR
    by Staff Writer - The chief executive of Air Canada has been elected as the new chairperson of the Star Alliance chief executive board. Michael Rousseau succeeds United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby, who has held the title since December 2020.

  • MELISSA HARLEY JOINS SUNWING VACATIONS
    by Staff Writer - Sunwing Vacations has welcomed Melissa Harley as its new Business Development Manager for Central, Eastern, Northern Ontario and Atlantic Canada. She joins the Sunwing Vacations Sales Team effective immediately.

  • ALLIANZ CANADA INTRODUCES SPARKMAN AS NEW MD
    by Staff Writer - Allianz Global Assistance (Allianz) has named Kyle Sparkman as Managing Director (MD) and Head of Allianz in Canada, effective Dec. 1. With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, including the past five years at Allianz, Sparkman succeeds Chris Van Kooten who departed the company in October 2024.

  • ACTA PRESIDENT NAMED CHAIR OF GLOBAL AGENTS ASSOCIATION
    by Staff Writer - ACTA president Wendy Paradis has been named chair of the executive committee of World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), a global organization that focuses and advocates on issues impacting the global travel agency community.

  • JNTO WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    by Staff Writer - Yuka Suzuki has been named Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization office in Toronto. The veteran tourism professional, who has previously worked for Destination British Columbia in Tokyo, has a “strong passion” for both Canada and Japan, and has dedicated much of her career to fostering stronger connections between the two, making her uniquely qualified for the position, according to the JNTO.

  • CAREER TIPS FROM EXPERTS AT WORLD TRAVEL MARKET
    by Staff Writer - From finding a mentor to developing a personal brand, newcomers to travel received career building tips from highflyers in the industry during the ITT Future You sessions at World Travel Market London, the world’s largest English-language travel trade show, which attracted over 43,000 visitors last week.

  • VOX ADDS KNOX FOR KISSIMMEE, BROADWAY INBOUND
    by Staff Writer - VoX International has added Canadian travel industry veteran Joshua Knox to its team as an Account Manager, tasked specifically to work with the Canadian travel trade on campaigns, training, marketing, and business development for both Experience Kissimmee and Broadway Inbound.

  • LINDSAY PEARLMAN NAMED COO OF TRAVEL LEADERS NETWORK
    by Staff Writer - Travel Leaders Network (TLN), the largest network of professional travel advisors in North America, has announced that Lindsay Pearlman will serve as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Travel Leaders Network. His role will officially begin in January 2025, and he will report to John Lovell, President of TLN.

  • JOHN LOVELL TO TAKE HELM AT TRAVEL LEADERS NETWORK
    by Staff Writer - John Lovell will take the helm at Travel Leaders Network, assuming the role of president on Jan. 1, 2025 – in addition to his current duties at parent company Internova Travel Group. Travel Leaders Network is one of the largest sellers of luxury travel, cruises and tours in the industry, representing approximately 5,700 travel agency locations across the US and Canada.

  • GOWAY NAMES HEBERT NEW VP AMERICAS
    by Staff Writer - Goway has appointed travel industry veteran Sean Hebert as its new Vice President, The Americas with a mission to spearhead the company’s transformation of its North American and Latin American product lines. 

  • WESTJET NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE VP, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER
    by Staff Writer - The WestJet Group has named Jacqui McGillivray as its Executive Vice-President and Chief People Officer, effective today (Oct. 7) She replaces Angela Avery, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Avery will stay on in an advisory capacity to assist with a smooth transition.

  • LABOUR OF LOVE: The difficult job of advisor recruitment
    by Michael Baginski - “Travel agent” consistently rates as one of the most desirable professions in consumer polls (sorry, rock/movie star is even better!), yet attracting new personnel to the retail industry is clearly not as easy as it would seem.

  • SUNWING INTRODUCES NEW WESTERN BDM
    by Staff Writer - Heather Gerrard has joined the Sunwing Vacations sales team as business development for Alberta and the Prairie provinces. Gerrard comes from the tour operator’s inventory department, having previously worked at Signature Vacations’ call centre before moving to the operations team.

  • LIZ STORY JOINS ARTS & LEISURE TOURS
    by Staff Writer - Woodbridge, Ont.-based Arts & Leisure has added Liz Story to its growing team as Sales Manager, Canada. Prior to her new role, the well-known industry veteran has held similar roles at the Thomas Cook Group, Holiday House and Paul Gauguin Cruises, amongst others.

  • DASILVA NAMED TOLLMAN SUCCESSOR AT TTC TOUR BRANDS
    by Staff Writer - The Travel Corporation (TTC) today announced the appointment of Melissa DaSilva as Interim CEO of TTC Tour Brands, effective immediately. DaSilva, who most recently served as President of TTC Tour Brands North America and brings over three decades of travel industry expertise to her new role, succeeds Gavin Tollman who will exit the business when the company sale closes later this year.

  • EXPLORA JOURNEYS WELCOMES NEW PRESIDENT
    by Staff Writer - Anna Nash has joined Explora Journeys as President of the luxury lifestyle ocean travel brand of the MSC Group reporting directly to Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Group’s Cruise Division.

  • CHECKING OUT: Nexion’s Mike Foster calls it a career
    by Staff Writer - Mike Foster, a tireless advocate for travel advisors in this country who built one of Southern Ontario’s largest agencies, says he is retiring, including stepping down at the end of the year from his position as President of Nexion Travel Group-Canada.

  • CHEERS TO 30 YEARS: Maureen Barnes-Smith marks milestone with Sandals
    by Staff Writer - Maureen Barnes-Smith, the face of Sandals/Beaches resorts in Canada, is marking a career milestone – 30 years with the company’s affiliate Unique Vacations Canada Inc. Now VP Sales & Marketing, Canada, the affable Smith joined the UVC team in September 1994 as the first office manager in the Canadian office.

  • WESTJET VP AVERY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
    by Staff Writer - The WestJet Group has announced that Angela Avery has decided to retire from her role as Group Executive Vice-President and Chief People, Corporate & Sustainability Officer. A comprehensive executive search for her replacement is underway. To ensure a seamless transition, Avery will continue in her current role until a replacement is named and will stay on in an advisory capacity until early next year. 

  • GLOBUS GROWS IN CANADA: Names two new BDMs
    by Staff Writer - Globus family of brands is expanding its Canadian sales team, hiring travel industry veteran Gina Goranson and sales professional Elaine French as business development managers (BDMs) for Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland as well as Southwest Ontario, respectively.