Our Team
Our Team
Who We Are
At Destination Canada we believe in the power of tourism. Our aspiration is to enhance the quality of life of Canadians and enrich the lives of visitors.
Our mission is to influence supply and build demand for the benefit of locals, communities and visitors through leading research, building alignment with public and private sectors, and marketing Canada nationally and abroad. In collaboration with our partners, we promote Canada as a premier four-season leisure and business tourism destination around the country and world.
Destination Canada’s approach focuses on markets where Canada’s tourism brand leads and yields the highest return on investment. We use research to drive our evidence-based marketing in nine key geographic leisure source markets: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, our Business Events team leverage in-depth global market analysis to target international clusters aligned with Canada's priority economic sectors.
We believe that Canada's diversity, its greatest asset, is also, what touches travellers' hearts most deeply. To that end, we are committed to inclusive leadership within our workforce, workplace, and interactions with partners and travellers alike.
Destination Canada is a Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada and formed under the Canadian Tourism Commission Act.
Together, we create the next era of travel, inspiring those with glowing hearts to fall in love with Canada.
Together, we create the next era of travel, inspiring those with glowing hearts to fall in love with Canada.
Our Values
Build Trust
We believe in the expertise of our people and deepen trust with our partners by holding ourselves to the highest standards for our actions and results.
Strive to Learn
We challenge ourselves and each other to go beyond the status quo. Every day, we strive to maximize learning and embrace better ways of thinking and doing.
Passionate Commitment
Our shared passion and pride for Canada inspires and engages others. Our collective commitment strengthens the Canadian tourism sector.
Collaborate to Suceed
Our achievements are the result of the diverse perspectives, experiences and contributions of our team and partners. As inclusive leaders, we listen and learn from each other because open collaboration always makes the work better.
Lead Boldly
We approach our work with courage and curiosity. Leading the industry, we identify competitive advantage through an informed and creative approach that charts an ambitious path for others to follow.
J.E.D.I
Destination Canada's statement on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
Destination Canada is committed to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (J.E.D.I.).
When we commit to justice, we commit to dismantling barriers to resources and opportunities so that all individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life.
When we commit to equity, we commit to allocating resources and our time to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities.
When we commit to diversity, we commit to recognizing all the differences between us based on which we experience advantages or barriers. These differences could be based on race, ability, gender identity and more.
When we commit to inclusion, we commit to fostering a sense of belonging by centering, valuing and amplifying the voice, perspectives and styles of those who experience more barriers based on their identities.
As storytellers, marketers and representatives of Canada’s tourism sector, we recognize our position of influence, and the importance of our work, workplace and workforce in reflecting the many voices and places that make up Canada.
Against the backdrop of a shifting and changing social landscape, including recognition of injustices to Indigenous peoples in Canada, rising anti-Asian sentiment and the Black Lives Matter movement, we continue to take actions to shift and share power - creating space for equity in painting an authentic and representative picture of Canada. We look to learn on our own, seek out opportunities to learn from experts compensated for their time, and grow with the help of our partners, collaborators and role models.
Change is a continual process that, at times, can feel uncertain and difficult — but each small action that we take is a step towards creating a better Destination Canada. Like Haida author and artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ story of the Little Hummingbird, where the tiny bird dedicates itself to putting droplets of water on the fire until it is extinguished, “I am doing what I can.”
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Board of Directors
Marsha Walden
Marsha’s career spans leadership roles in strategy and organizational renewal, marketing and communications, corporate social responsibility, operations management, and business innovation. She joins Destination Canada from Destination British Columbia where she served as the President and CEO since 2013.
The Honourable Liza Frulla, P.C., C.M., O.Q.
Liza Frulla is an active member of the Canadian tourism sector and former federal and provincial Minister. She served as the CEO of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) since 2015 and was a member of the Advisory Council on Jobs and the Visitor Economy.
Julie Canning
Julie is an owner and entrepreneur at Banff Trail Riders. Passionate about the Canadian tourism industry and Canada’s National Parks, Julie is a torch bearer for women in tourism and a champion for small and medium sized businesses which form the cornerstone of tourism in Canada.
Stan Cook
Stan is a strong advocate for tourism, chairing various boards including as founding chair for the Adventure Tourism Association of Newfoundland, the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Board and Atlantic Canada Tourism.
Randy Garfield
Randy brings over 40 years of tourism experience, with an award-winning career at Disney Destinations where he was Executive Vice-President of Worldwide Sales and Travel Operations.
Benjamin Ryan
Benjamin is the Chief Commercial Officer of Air North, a Yukon airline. He is active in the Yukon tourism community as Treasurer and Member of the Board of Tourism Industry Association of Yukon (TIA Yukon), and as Co-Chair of the Mät'àtäna Development Committee, a committee tasked with overseeing the development of a first-of-kind high-end Indigenous tourism resort in Yukon in partnership with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation. Ben holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford.
Andrew Torriani
Andrew has been in the tourism industry most of his life, with a strong passion for providing exceptional hospitality in the hotel sector. Andrew is passionate about and committed to developing his community.
Natalie Thiesen
Natalie is currently Vice-President, Tourism, for Economic Development Winnipeg (Tourism Winnipeg) and has been holding executive positions in that organization since 2011. Since 2014 she has been a volunteer board member for the Festival du Voyageur Inc. for which she is currently President. She holds a Master of Arts in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Commerce from the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of Winnipeg.
Executive Team
Marsha Walden
Marsha’s career spans leadership roles in strategy and organizational renewal, marketing and communications, corporate social responsibility, operations management, and business innovation. She joins Destination Canada from Destination British Columbia where she served as the President and CEO since 2013.
Gloria Loree
A proud storyteller for Canada, Gloria’s 20+ years of experience in marketing and communications includes working in tourism, the arts and journalism.
Maureen Riley
Maureen brings an unparalleled depth and diversity of experience in the tourism sector, both in Canada and globally, to ensure strong leadership and oversight of our international teams.
Caroline Séguin
Caroline is an accomplished public policy professional with extensive experience across all three levels of Canadian government. Much of her work has focused on the interconnection between tourism promotion, job creation and regional economic growth.
Gracen Chungath
Gracen Chungath has a proven record of building purposeful relationships with internal and external partners. Her strategic nature and collaborative personality will be an excellent addition to Destination Canada as we develop a pan-Canadian strategy for Destination Development focusing on investment, strategic partnerships, stewardship and capacity building.
Richard Gagnon
Richard collaborates closely with the senior management team to ensure that DC remains an employer of choice and to offer high quality corporate services and partnership to our business to achieve our strategic goals.
Meaghan Ferrigno
Meaghan brings an exceptional range of expertise in data-enabled competitive strategies and business agility. She is a certified CPA, CMA who holds an MBA in Management Technology from SFU’s Beedie School of Business as well as a PMP designation.
