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OTEC Board of Directors Announcement

OTEC announces new Board Chair and Executive John Wilkinson elected as new Chair and Dr. Statia Elliot as Vice-Chair at OTEC AGM 

At the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) AGM, held December 11th a new Executive was elected and two new Directors joined the Board. Victoria Behune, President & CEO is pleased to announce that John Wilkinson, who has been on the OTEC Board since 2015, was elected as Chair. “His wealth of experience in the legal and not-for-profit sectors adds immensely to our highly experienced, competency-based Board of Directors’.  As OTEC evolves in the H.R. technology and workforce innovation space, with a new strategic plan and highprofile partners, Mr. Wilkinson legal expertise and knowledge will support our growth strategy” states Ms. Behune.

Mr. Wilkinson is a partner at the law firm of WeirFoulds LLP where he practices corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on governance, contract preparation and review, policy development, and risk management. In addition to the OTEC Board, Mr. Wilkinson sits on the Boards of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), True Sport Foundation (TSF), and Toronto Sports Council (TSC) and is a recent past President of the Canadian Association of University Solicitors (CAUS).

Dr. Statia Elliot, elected as Vice Chair, joined the Board in 2016 and brings years of experience within the hospitality and tourism industry and public sector. Dr. Elliot is Director of the University of Guelph’s School of Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management and her research explores the hospitality experience, from destination image to visitor behaviour, as well as gender and diversity in the workplace.   Dr. Elliot is a past Board member of Tourism H.R. Canada and past President of the Travel and Tourism Research Association Canada. She is a member of Destination Canada’s Research Committee and the Women in Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Committee.

Elected as Board Secretary, Brenda Brown, who has been on the OTEC Board since 2015 is an experienced Board member and Corporate Director, who offers in-depth expertise in international talent management and succession planning for organizations that are focused on human capital and motivated employees, poised to succeed. With over 30 years of Human Resources’ experience, she is passionate about talent and employee engagement. Most recently, Brenda retired from the position of SVP Talent Management, Global DOR, Compass Group Plc, the world’s leading food service & facilities management company. In this capacity, Brenda oversaw all people related activities for 30,000 associates in Canada, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

Welcomed to the Board are two new Directors, Ms. Katherine Power, VP Communications & Corporate Affairs Sodexo Canada Ltd. and Mr. Ashish Malik, COO & Partner 108 Ideaspace Inc.

As Vice President Communications & Corporate Affairs with Sodexo Canada, Katherine Power is responsible for developing a comprehensive and integrated strategy for managing Sodexo Canada’s overall external relationships and reputation including with media, stakeholders and community groups as well as leading brand management, communications, corporate responsibility, Indigenous relations and diversity & inclusion to help the company achieve its business goals and objectives in Canada. Ms. Power is also Executive Director of Sodexo’s STOP HUNGER Foundation in Canada and is Chair of the Board of Directors for Food4Kids Ontario. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Pride@Work Canada and the Canadian Institute of Diversity & Inclusion.

Ashish Malik is a certified Consultant and PMP professional with over 15 years of experience in marketing and technology. As a founding partner and Chief Operating Officer at 108 Ideaspace, a digital marketing consultancy, Ashish has been instrumental in setting organizations on a path to Digital Transformation. Mr. Malik has had the roles of Programmer, Architect, Business Analyst, Project Manager and Management Consultant and has a gift for converting ideas into practical applications. He has been involved in various committees at the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and is also a sponsor of Lean-in Canada.

Continuing as Officers on the Board in the role of Past Chair is Mr. Nick DiRenzo, recently retired from Sun Life Financial Investment Services Inc.  and Treasurer, Mr. Doug Hyland, Manager Systems and Processes, Rapid Dose Therapeutics Inc.

Members elected for another term:

  • Ms. Wendy Forsythe, Former President, OMERS Investment Group
  • Mr. Gary Hallam Executive Dean, School of Business and Hospitality, Conestoga College
  • Dr. Gail Johnson Morris President & CEO, LeaderLink Inc

For more information on OTEC’s Board, Contact Us.

ABOUT OTEC

The Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC), established in 1991, is Ontario’s Tourism Workforce Development Organization. As an independent, not-for-profit training, consulting & workforce development organization, OTEC works with industry and businesses to deliver both strategy and implementation solutions for the development and growth of a professional, skilled workforce. As the founder and lead on Tourism SkillsNet Ontario, OTEC is responsible for aligning industry, education, employment and training stakeholders toward a single framework for tourism workforce development. Working closely with destinations, businesses, associations, secondary and post-secondary education networks, OTEC is also Ontario’s premier source for Service Excellence and LX Leadership training and strategy development, tourism ambassador training, certifications and education products.