Executive Team |
The Intrawest Executive Team is made up of some of the most experienced individuals in the industry.
| BILL JENSEN Chief Executive Officer |
BRIAN COLLINS President of Intrawest |
MICHAEL FORSAYETH Chief Financial Officer |
| HUGH R. SMYTHE President, Resorts Services |
ANDY WIRTH Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer |
MARA PAGOTTO |
|
KEVIN SMITH
|
DOUG FEELY Chief Information Officer |
DREW STOTESBURY President, Intrawest Placemaking |
| DAVID BARRY Chief Executive Officer Alpine Helicopters / Canadian Mountain Holidays |
MIKE STANGE Senior Vice President, Intrawest Hospitality Management |
STEVE LAVER President, Intrawest Playground |
| JAMES J. GIBBONS President, Intrawest Resort Club Group |
DAVE BROWNLIE President and Chief Operating Officer Whistler Blackcomb |
SKY FOULKES President and Chief Operating Officer Stratton Mountain, Vermont |
| WILLIAM (BILL) ROCK President and Chief Operating Officer Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia |
CHRIS DIAMOND President and Chief Operating Officer Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation |
CHARLES MASSICOTTE President and Chief Operating Officer Tremblant |
| PAUL JORGENSEN President and Chief Operating Officer Mountain Creek, New Jersey |
GORD CANNING President and Chief Operating Officer Blue Mountain |
GARY RODGERS President and Chief Operating Officer Copper Mountain |
| GARY DEFRANGE President and Chief Operating Officer Winter Park |
KIRBY BROWN President and Chief Operating Officer Panorama Mountain |
Executive Biographies
Bill Jensen
Chief Executive Officer
In June 2008, William (Bill) A. Jensen was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer at Intrawest. In this role he is responsible for the long-term vision of Intrawest, and he will oversee the day-to-day management and operations of each of the company's resort properties. In addition, he will be responsible for strategic planning and the strategy to broaden Intrawest's leadership in the experiential destination resort market and best position the company to take advantage of new growth opportunities. All of Intrawest's resorts, operating divisions and all of the members of the executive team will report directly to him.
Jensen brings 35 years of ski industry experience and a demonstrated track record of successfully growing mountain resort operations throughout North America. Prior to his appointment at Intrawest he served as President of Vail Resorts' Mountain Division. In 1997 Jensen joined Vail Resort's as the Chief Operating Officer at Breckenridge Ski Resort and he was subsequently promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer of Vail Mountain in 1999.
From 1991 to 1997, Jensen was President of Fibreboard Resort Group where he oversaw the executive management of three ski resorts in California (Northstar at Tahoe, Sierra at Tahoe, and Bear Mountain).
Jensen is an enthusiastic leader and accomplished community representative. He is a past Chairman of the National Ski Areas Association.
Brian Collins
President of Intrawest
In June 2008, Brian Collins was appointed to the position of President of Intrawest. In this role he is responsible for all of Intrawest's global real estate operations including Intrawest Placemaking, the Company's real estate planning and development division, and Playground, the Company's real estate marketing and sales services division.
Collins is a real estate industry veteran with more than 24 years of experience as a developer of luxury condominiums and hotels as well as a Certified Public Accountant. He was most recently the Principal and Founder of Colgate Development LLC and before this he was a Principal and Chief Operating Officer at Millennium Partners, the preeminent developer of residential mixed-use projects in the United States. During his seven year partnership, he was actively involved in all of Millennium's mixed-use developments nationwide, including seven Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton projects, as well as The Phillips Club in New York City. Collins was directly responsible for the design and operations of the hotel and commercial components in each of these projects, which totaled over $2 billion in cost.
Before joining Millennium Partners, Collins was a senior vice president at Carol Management Corporation, a private real estate company that owned the Doral Hotel portfolio and other residential and commercial assets. He was directly responsible for the sale, joint venture and/or restructuring of over $500 million of assets. Previously, Collins gained ten years of cumulative real estate investment banking experience at three real estate investment banking firms where he was responsible for more than $1 billion of real estate assets during his tenure.
Collins received a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University and a Master of Science (Accounting) from New York University Graduate School of Business.
Michael Forsayeth
Chief Financial Officer
Mike Forsayeth joined Intrawest in June 2007 as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he is responsible for all of Intrawest's worldwide financial operations. These include: financial planning and analysis, statutory and management financial reporting, internal audit services, corporate development, internal controls, risk management, treasury and taxation. In addition, he oversees Intrawest's Information Technology group and the company's in-house legal team.
For the eight years prior to joining Intrawest, Forsayeth served as Chief Financial Officer for Cara Operations Ltd., the largest operator of full service restaurants in Canada and a leader in the airline catering, foodservice distribution and travel concession industries. During his tenure, Forsayeth led and engineered all financial aspects of the business. In addition, during those eight years he completed several public and private strategic acquisitions and divestments that totalled over $1 billion in value and included Cara's privatization transaction that came to a successful completion in February 2004.
Prior to joining Cara, Forsayeth spent prior three years with Laidlaw Inc. There, he held several senior management positions including most recently, President of their Transit and Tour operations including President of Greyhound Canada. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Laidlaw's Passenger Services Group (Laidlaw's school bus, public transit and tour bus operations), that had total revenue US$1.6 billion.
From May 1988 to May 1996 Forsayeth was with Derlan Industries Limited, a Canadian based public North American manufacturing company. There he joined as Vice President Controller and in 1993 became Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Derlan he was the Senior Manager of Investor Relations at Bank of Montreal and from the summer of 1977 to 1986 was at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). During his nine years at Coopers he worked as a Senior Manager in the audit practice, the insolvency group as well as a two-year secondment in their London, England office.
Forsayeth is a Chartered Accountant and graduated from Queen's University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1977.
Hugh R. Smythe
President, Resort Services
Mr. Smythe began his career in the ski industry as a professional ski patroller on Whistler Mountain in 1966. He advanced through various positions to hill manager, and left Whistler in 1975 to resurrect Fortress Mountain, a defunct ski area outside Calgary, Alberta. His success there, as general manager, led him in 1978 to convince the Aspen Skiing Company and the Federal Business Development Bank to pursue proposal calls for development of Blackcomb Mountain. As president of Blackcomb he directed the project through inception, planning and construction to its opening in December 1980, and its ongoing growth. In 1986 he attracted Intrawest's attention to Blackcomb, resulting in their acquisition of the resort and, under Smythe's direction, the major expansion the following year that positioned Blackcomb as Canada's premier ski resort.
Smythe has been responsible for the strategic planning and operation for all Intrawest resorts. He has played a key leadership role in the growth of the company from a single resort with revenues of $6 million in 1986 to its position as the world's leading operator and developer of village-centered resorts, with in excess of $500 million in operating revenues generated by its diversified collection of award-winning resorts.
David Barry
Chief Executive Officer
Alpine Helicopters / Canadian Mountain Holidays
As Chief Executive Officer of Alpine/CMH, David Barry is responsible for the long term vision, strategy, management and operations of the largest helicopter skiing company in the world. Alpine/CHM has 12 remote lodges in British Columbia and North America's premier rotary wing aviation provider, specializing in flight operations for helicopter skiing, firefighting, search and rescue and aviation utility work. Today, the company operates in 3 countries, 17 locations and has 40 aircraft. Alpine/CMH is executing a growth plan to become the world leader in aviation tourism.
Mr. Barry joined Intrawest in 1991 and has served in a variety of Senior Leadership positions throughout the enterprise at Mont Tremblant, Whistler Blackcomb and our Colorado resorts, most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer, Intrawest Mountain Resorts USA with total operating responsibility and oversight of 6 mountain resorts across the United States. Prior to joining Intrawest, Mr. Barry earned Canada's highest level of ski teaching certification and served in senior leadership positions within two eastern Canadian resorts.
Mr. Barry is a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and is a past director of the National Ski Area's Association and former Treasurer of Colorado Ski Country USA. Barry has been involved in many mountain resort community activities and has served on the board of the Summit Foundation and Colorado Special Olympics.
Barry has played a driving role in the integration of many Intrawest businesses and has a proven track record of strong leadership in successful turnaround situations, new acquisitions and the establishment of our award winning guest and employee culture.
Barry currently serves on the Board of Directors of Trust Company of America and Second Space, Inc.
Andy Wirth
EVP of Sales & Marketing / Chief Marketing Officer
Andy Wirth joined Intrawest as a result of the acquisition of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in March 2007 and was soon promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer. Wirth is responsible for all aspects of Intrawest's global sales and marketing and he plays a pivotal role in developing and communicating the company's vision and strategy, driving market share and establishing the individual brand identities of the company's network of experiential destination resorts.
In addition to his new company-wide responsibilities, Wirth will continue to oversee the sales and marketing operations at Steamboat to ensure that Steamboat remains one of the most well-known and successful resort brands in the travel industry.
Wirth brings more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience to Intrawest. Prior to his current position, he was Steamboat's marketing director and before that, director of western sales & partnership marketing for American Skiing Company's western resorts-Steamboat, The Canyons and Heavenly.
An enthusiastic leader and accomplished community representative, Wirth is active in all facets of local and regional governmental affairs in Colorado. His involvement in the Yampa Valley Airport Commission helped to secure funding for major improvements to the Yampa Valley Regional Airport which amounted to a 34 percent growth in air seats for the Steamboat flight program which offers non-stop flights from ten major U.S. cities.
Wirth earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University and attended Edinburgh University in Scotland. He currently serves as President of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Board of Directors.
Drew Stotesbury
President, Placemaking
As President of Intrawest Placemaking, Drew Stotesbury is responsible for the management and operations of Intrawest's real estate development division. Stotesbury's vision is for Placemaking to be more than just a real estate developer. His primary focus is to apply the talent and skills of Placemaking's professional team to help each Intrawest Resort envision its optimal master plan and then to oversee the fulfillment of that vision through development of physical spaces that create living places that become a beneficial legacy to residents, visitors and surrounding communities.
Stotesbury is trained in business and finance and has been extensively involved in resorts for over 20 years having served in various financial, operating and senior executive positions in the hotel, real estate and public sectors. In 2003, he joined Intrawest Placemaking as Chief Financial Officer and was promoted to his current position of President in 2005.
Under Stotesbury's leadership, Intrawest Placemaking supports each one of the company's destination resorts with the real estate planning and development expertise required to develop finely crafted resort-style homes and master-planned village resorts. Underlying each real estate development project is the inspiration to define the essence of the place and the qualities that attract people to it. With this knowledge as the core, Intrawest Placemaking is able to create places where amazing experiences happen.
In addition to working directly with each Intrawest resort, Stotesbury also manages the strategic relationships with numerous third-party development partners throughout the world.
Steve Laver
President, Intrawest Playground
Steve Laver joined Intrawest Playground in late 2006. His diverse background in the real estate service industry and his record of success brings a powerful combination of experience and capability to the Playground team.
Prior to joining Playground, Laver served as the President of Storied Places, Intrawest's private residence club (PRC) division. Under his leadership, Storied places has become the second largest company in the PRC industry, with one of the highest brand loyalty ratings in the business.
Laver brings more than 23 years of industry experience to Intrawest as a fully commissioned real estate sales agent, as a national partner at Trammell Crow Company, as the President of Brookfield Management Services, and as Chief Operating Officer and a founding partner at Bentall Capital. Similar to Intrawest, each of these companies had a mix of direct business and large third-party clients. All of which grew under his leadership in both scale and profitability.
Laver also brings the unique perspective of being first a customer of Playground, through his ownership in Storied Places' first offering at Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, and then as a client to Playground during his tenure as President of Storied Places. These experiences combined will continue to fuel the phenomenal growth and success of Intrawest Playground.
Sky Foulkes
President and Chief Operating Officer
Stratton Mountain, Vermont
Sky Foulkes is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. As the Resort Chief, Foulkes is responsible for the long-term vision of the resort, as well as the day-to-day management and operations. In addition, he is focused on creating unique customer experiences that create a distinct brand to ensure that Stratton retains its unique characteristics and customer appeal.
Foulkes joined Stratton in 1982 as a Ski Patroller, and worked his way up, distinguishing himself in all aspects of mountain operations, eventually assuming the role of Vice President of Operations. In November 2002, he was to the position of Vice President and General Manager of Stratton and in 2006 he also assumed the leadership position at Mountain Creek until Intrawest appointed a new full-time Resort Chief for the New Jersey-based resort.
During his tenure, Foulkes' consistent, effective leadership and high visibility have resulted in a substantial increase in satisfaction of resort guests, homeowners and employees. He has devoted a considerable amount of time and effort to creating and integrated model that has proven to be an effective way to lead the resort.
In addition to his day-to-day resort management responsibilities, Foulkes makes important contributions of his time and energy to a number of community organizations that make Stratton a better place.
Foulkes graduated cum laude with a B.S. from Colorado State University in 1982.
Mike Stange
Senior Vice President, Intrawest Hospitality Management
As Senior Vice President of Intrawest Hospitality Management (IHM), Mike Stange is responsible for all aspects of resort operations and management at Intrawest's network of destination resorts throughout North America and Europe. Stange's vision for IHM is to create a sense of community with each property it represents. The synergy of stakeholders is essential to a property's success; and while unique to each property, this may be defined to include guests, homeowners, employees, merchants, and community partners, among others.
IHM's current operations include, but are not limited to, Business Management, Branding, Sales & Marketing, Public Relations, Association Management, Information Systems, Human Resources, Catering/Food & Beverage and Accounting/Payroll. Stange's primary mandate is to implement IHM as a horizontal centre of excellence across all of Intrawest's resort properties as well as with the company's many development partners and brand partners.
Stange is a 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry. He first joined Intrawest as Vice President, General Manager of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort at the time of acquisition in 1998 and was promoted to Regional Vice-President for the Southeast Region for Intrawest in March 2006. His accomplishments have been numerous, most noteworthy is the incredible team he has developed at Sandestin and in the Southeast Region, along with his vision for the IHM division at Intrawest.
In addition to being responsible for IHM and Sandestin, he also provides management oversight for all of Intrawest's lodging operations and he supports each Intrawest resort by sharing best practices and processes to help create incremental value.
Stange is active in the community and he currently serves as a board member for the Walton County Chamber, the Walton Country Tourist Development Council and the Jamaican Central Labor Organization. He is also an active member of the Sandestin Owners Association.
James J. Gibbons
President, Intrawest Resort Club Group
Jim Gibbons is the President of Intrawest Resort Club Group and Club Intrawest, a private resort club with eight exclusive locations around the world. Prior to his current position, he was Vice President in charge of the Residential Group at Intrawest.
Jim started his career as a Realtor in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he successfully built his own Real Estate Company, J.J. Gibbons and Company Ltd. In 1980, he relocated to British Columbia. He is a past Director of the Winnipeg Real Estate Board and has had a strong association with the Special Olympic Games both as a Fundraiser and Chairman. Jim was a Director of the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympic Bid Society and he is currently on the Board of Directors for the ARDA (American Resort Development Association).
Jim is married with four children and he enjoys travel and all sports, in particular skiing and golf. He is currently a member of the Hollyburn and Capilano Country Clubs.
Doug Feely
Chief Information Officer
As Chief Information Officer, Doug Feely is responsible for technology solutions that span across Intrawest's entire network of businesses and resort destinations to support customer initiatives and provide the information technology foundation to support the company's future growth.
As the company's most senior IT leader, Feely is responsible for the development and implementation of Intrawest's enterprise architecture, common infrastructure, systems and services and technology standards. Feely oversees Intrawest's Enterprise Systems and he plays a pivotal role in the coordination and implementation of technology to support Advanced Sales, Resort Operations and Hospitality initiatives. In addition, he is responsible for Finance and Human Resource Enterprise systems, Corporate Network and Systems Infrastructure and IT Controls and Security.
Feely has more than 25 years of IT and operations experience in the ski resort industry. During his tenure at Intrawest, he has played a key role in the development of Intrawest's technology systems and standardizing systems across the company's Colorado operations, including Copper Mountain, Winter Park Resort, the Intrawest Retail Group and the Shared Services division.
In the spring of 2006, Feely relocated to Vancouver from Colorado to take on a key leadership role for the company's Guest Facing IT requirements. Soon afterwards, he was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Information Technology and then in the fall of 2006 he assumed overall responsibility as CIO for Enterprise Information Technology.
Feely attended the University of Colorado, majoring in Economics with an emphasis on Math and Computer Sciences.
William (Bill) Rock
President and Chief Operating Officer
Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia
Bill Rock is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of Snowshoe Mountain, after his July 2007 promotion from Vice President and General Manager. Presiding over 60 trails, the region's largest vertical drop at 1,500 and 244 skiable acres spread over three distinct areas, Rock's responsibilities included overseeing the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast's premier destination resort for Intrawest. Under his leadership, Snowshoe was named the Southeast's #1 Ski Resort by the readers of Ski Magazine.
While facilitating Snowshoe's most successful season ever in 2006-2007, Rock was able to exceed financial goals, as well as increase guest experience and employee satisfaction. This was not new territory for Rock, as he oversaw a dramatic improvement in financial results, increasing both revenues and profits while serving as Chief Operating Officer/General Manager of Durango Mountain Resort of Durango, Colorado. Rock led a restructuring of operations to achieve major cost savings, while improving measures of guest satisfaction in key categories. His leadership and success has been noted, and Bill has been honored with a number of awards. In 2005, Ski Area Management named Rock a "Sammy" recipient for his "strong, innovative leadership…exciting promise for even more accomplishments and leadership in the future." The award established Rock as a young executive who "will lead our industry to new heights." A visible and well-respected leader in his adopted home state, Rock was named a "2007 Young Gun" by West Virginia Executive Magazine.
Rock has also shown himself to be a compassionate leader in the local community. He has volunteered as the president of the Snowshoe Foundation, a private nonprofit founded in 2003, aiding causes and individuals in the three counties supporting Snowshoe. Similarly, during his time in Durango, Bill served on various boards and commissions.
At just 42, Rock's work ethic and expertise have facilitated his quick ascent to the role of GM at two major U.S. resorts. He began his career as Director of Marketing and Sales at Bristol Mountain, N.Y., before rapidly rising in ranks at Intrawest resort Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Prior to his tenure in the ski industry, Rock served as Lieutenant, U.S. Army, leading two elite platoons in the 82nd Airborne Division. Rock was a U.S. Army Ranger and completed a variety of specialist Ranger training.
Rock, a native of Upstate New York, is married to Jennifer and is the father of two-year old twins, Tyler and Paige. The Rock family makes their home at the base of Snowshoe Mountain.
Charles Massicotte
President and Chief Operating Officer
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Charles Massicotte was appointed to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec in September, 2007. In this position, Massicotte is responsible for all aspects of Tremblant's resort operations, including real estate development and sales.
From 1998 to 2003, Massicotte previously held the position of Vice President of Finance at Tremblant. During his tenure he was responsible for the financial management of the resort and he played a key role in the planning and development of Versant Soleil, the new resort real estate development that incorporates resort residences, a landmark hotel, premium shopping and dining, and a direct connection to the South Village of Tremblant.
In 2003, Massicotte joined the Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) in the position of Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he initiated and negotiated several long-term strategic agreements including a partnership with Bell Canada to make Montreal-Trudeau a high-tech airport allowing ADM to generate new sources of income. He implemented several service level agreements with suppliers to establish and monitor the performance of quality of service standards. Massicotte also developed creative structures to have third-parties contribute to the financing of Airport assets instead of ADM assuming all of the financing.
Massicotte is a Chartered Accountant and has previously had 12 years of service with Price Waterhouse. In his role as Vice President for their corporate finance group, he assisted shareholders, corporate managers and lenders in areas of management, restructuring, acquisitions, sales and financing.
Massicotte is a graduate of the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, and he is an active member of the Ordre des comptables agrées du Québec and of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Dave Brownlie
President and Chief Operating Officer
Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resorts Limited
As President and Chief Operating Officer at Whistler Blackcomb, Dave Brownlie is responsible for the long-term vision and the day-to-day management and operations of Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brownlie is also responsible for overseeing operations at Panorama Mountain Village.
Brownlie has over 18 years of world-class mountain resort management experience and has been integral to the successful development of Whistler Blackcomb into North America's #1 Mountain Resort.
Brownlie joined Blackcomb Skiing Enterprises in 1989, and in July 2007, he was appointed to his current position as President of Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resorts.
He began his tenure with Blackcomb Skiing Enterprises as Director of Finance. In 1992, he became Vice-President, Finance & Corporate Development, and accepted the additional responsibility of Panorama Mountain Village. Following the merger of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains in 1997, Brownlie was appointed Senior Vice-President, Finance with Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resorts. Continuing to grow with the company, Dave accepted the position as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer in 2004 and, in 2006, as Chief Operating Officer, Intrawest Mountain Resorts.
Brownlie is an active member of the community and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Tourism Whistler and Tourism BC, and as President of the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Mr. Brownlie is 45 years old. He is married with three children.
Gary DeFrange
President and Chief Operating Officer
Winter Park, Colorado
As President and Chief Operating Officer of Winter Park Resort, Gary DeFrange is responsible for the long term strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the Resort. This includes not only the operation of the mountain but also the operation and development of the Village at Winter Park.
Gary's involvement with Winter Park began 29 years when, as part of his community involvement and passion for working with children, he became a volunteer ski instructor for the blind with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD). The NSCD is the largest ski and summer mountain recreation program in the world and it is headquartered in Winter Park. His involvement with the NSCD grew each year and he ultimately became Chairman of the Board of this Organization. This involvement, along with his senior management experience and knowledge of the ski industry from a financial standpoint, made him the successful candidate for the position of President/CEO of the Resort when his predecessor retired.
Gary joined the Resort as President/CEO in July 1997. He was instrumental in convincing his Board as well as the City of Denver, the owner of the Resort, that the business model under which the resort had operated since 1950 had to be changed. He was an active participant with the City of Denver in the selection of Intrawest to operate and develop the Resort and was also very involved in structuring the deal between the City of Denver and Intrawest. The transaction with Intrawest closed on December 23, 2002 at which time Gary accepted a position with Intrawest as Vice President and General Manager of Winter Park Resort.
Prior to joining Intrawest Gary spent 27 years in the Banking Industry. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a BS in Business and immediately began his banking career as a Management Trainee. He ultimately became Chairman, President, and CEO of First Interstate Bank of Denver, the second largest bank in the State of Colorado, and Regional President over all First Interstate Banks in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
Gary and his wife live full time in Winter Park and are both active members of the Community. He currently serves on the Board of the National Sports Center of the Disabled, Colorado Ski Country USA, and the Wells Fargo Bank of Denver Community Board. He is also President of the Board of Fox Run Holding LLC, a non-profit affordable housing project, and Chairman of the Board of AAA Colorado.
Mara Pagotto
Chief People Officer
Mara Pagotto was appointed to the newly created position of Chief People Officer in January 2008. In this position, Pagotto is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources and Employee Experience for Intrawest's 22,000 employees worldwide. She has company-wide responsibility and decision-making authority to implement common HR processes across all divisions of the company. These divisions include: Resort operations, Intrawest Hospitality Management, Real Estate operations (Placemaking and Playground) and all central corporate functions at Intrawest.
Pagotto brings an impressive track record of experience at several large global organizations. Most recently, she served as Vice-President of Human Resources supporting American Express Global Travel Services. In this position she was responsible for setting and driving the company's leadership and diversity strategy, employee engagement, organizational effectiveness and various strategic initiatives in the area of Human Resources that impacted over 18,000 employees worldwide.
Prior to joining American Express in 2003, Pagotto's career started in finance where she became Vice President of Finance and Administration for a major Canadian franchise company. Over the span of her career, Pagotto has held various leadership positions in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, operations, marketing and communications and human resources.
Pagotto is an enthusiastic leader, an accomplished community representative and a graduate of Queen's University in Ontario. She is based out of Intrawest's Shared Services office in Golden, Colorado.
Kevin Smith
Chief Financial Officer, Resort Operations
As Chief Financial Officer for Intrawest Resort Operations, Kevin Smith is responsible for the financial oversight of all the operational areas of Intrawest, including operations and corporate general and administrative expenses, lodging, and is also involved in many other financial aspects of the company. Smith plays a key role as Intrawest's primary interface with Fortress Investment Group LLC, the private equity funds group which acquired Intrawest in 2006. He also continues to ensure that Intrawest's financial and reporting processes progress to meet the evolving needs of both the Company and Fortress.
For the seven years prior, from 1999 to 2006, Smith's career at Intrawest evolved as he gained progressively more responsibility within the Company's financial team, starting at the Resort level and moving on to the Corporate head office.
Smith joined Intrawest in 1999 as a Financial Analyst for the Resort Operations Group, based in Whistler, BC. A year later, in 2000, he moved to Copper Mountain as Controller and was promoted to Director of Finance/CFO. In 2003, he transferred to the Corporate team, initially as Manager, Acquisitions and then subsequently took on greater responsibilities in the role of Vice President, Finance, Leisure & Travel Group, then as Senior Vice President, Operations Finance, then Chief Financial Officer for Intrawest Mountain Resorts and currently as Chief Financial Officer for Resort Operations.
Prior to joining Intrawest, Smith spent five years at Deloitte & Touche as an Audit Manager. There he was responsible for performing financial audits and acquired an extensive knowledge of the reporting requirements for public companies on the CDNX, TSE and SEC, as well as of the real estate industry. Smith is a Chartered Accountant with a diploma in In-Depth Investment Fund Audits from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants as well as a Bachelor of Science graduate of the University of British Columbia.
Gary Rodgers
President and Chief Operating Officer
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Gary Rodgers, President and COO of Copper Mountain, has 20+ years of ski industry experience to his credit. Rodgers joined Intrawest at Whistler Mountain in 1987. After holding several positions within the organization, he relocated to Copper in 1999 and became Operations Director of Development. During the 2001 winter season, Rodgers took on the Director of Lodging Services and Development role. In July 2004, Rodgers was named Senior Vice President of Intrawest Colorado and one year later also became General Manager of Copper Mountain. In July 2007, Gary was named to his current position.
Rodgers currently represents the Central Rockies region on the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) board of directors. He also serves on the boards of The Summit Foundation and the Copper Mountain Property Owners and Lessee's Association, is a member of the Summit Leadership Forum and looks forward to increased involvement with additional Summit County organizations. Gary, his spouse Susan, and sons Ryan and Kyle call Summit County, Colorado their home.
Gord Canning
President and Chief Executive Officer, Blue Mountain Resorts Limited
Blue Mountain, Ontario
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Mountain Resorts Limited, Gord Canning is responsible for the long-term vision for the resort, as well as the day-to-day management and operations of Ontario's premiere mountain resort.
Canning began his career at Blue Mountain in 1971 and in 1978 he assumed the current position as President of the resort. He is a member of the Resort Board and he reports to the Directors of Blue Mountain Resorts Limited.
In 1999, Intrawest acquired a 50% interest in Blue Mountain. In his role as President, Canning is a core member of the Intrawest Senior Leadership Team and he has been an active representative of Blue Mountain Resort throughout the planning, development and operation of the Intrawest Village at Blue Mountain.
In addition to his day-to-day resort management responsibilities, Canning has participated in numerous skier development initiatives and tourism programs for various organizations including the Canadian Ski Council, the Ontario Snow Resorts Association, the Georgian Triangle Tourist Association, Tourism Ontario and the Canadian Tourism Commission. In 2002, he was the recipient of two distinctive accolades: the Judith Kilbourne Founders Award presented by the Canadian Ski Council, and the Business Excellence Special Merit Award presented by the Collingwood Chamber of Commerce. In 2006, he was also the recipient of The Jimmie Spencer Leadership Award presented by the Canadian Ski Council.
Canning is active in the local community. He also serves as a Board member of We Care Home Health Services Inc., the largest independently owned home care service provider in Canada. He has held this position since the organization's inception in 1984.
Canning lives in the Blue Mountain area and he is a graduate from Queens University (B.Sc. Hons. Mathematics and Physics, 1965) and University of Waterloo (M.A. Maths and Computer Science, 1966), and he received an M.B.A from York University in 1971. Previously to his career at Blue Mountain, he was employed as a systems programmer with Imperial Oil Limited, from 1966-1970.
Kirby Brown
President and Chief Operation Officer
Panorama Mountain Village
Kirby Brown was appointed to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for Panorama Mountain Village in December 2007. In this position, Brown is responsible for all aspects of Panorama's resort operations, including real estate development and sales.
Brown has been with Intrawest for 15 years. In 1993 he began his career working on the front lines at Whistler Mountain and moving up to his most recent position as Director of Resort and Lodging Experience. In that role, Brown was responsible for all areas of Human Resources and Organizational Development, along with Guest Services, Information Technology and Lodging at Whistler Blackcomb.
An enthusiastic leader and accomplished community representative, Brown is committed to the health and well being of the community he calls home. Since 2001, he has been a part of the evolution of the Whistler Housing Authority, tasked with the heavy responsibility of creating and maintaining a suitable inventory of affordable homes for Whistler's workforce. He recently joined the board of go2, the human resource organization which supports and advocates for the needs of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry and also sits on the board of WorkLife BC, an organization that seeks to promote personal balance in the workplace as a key driver for employee engagement and retention.
Brown also sat on the boards of Whistler Healthy Communities, a committee of council which tackles community issues of health and wellness; and the Whistler Blackcomb Environmental Fund which distributes funds raised by employees to local hands-on environmental projects.
Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1993.
Chris Diamond
President & Chief Operating Officer
Steamboat Resort & Ski Corporation
Chris Diamond began his ski industry career in 1972, when he joined Sherburne Corporation (which later became S-K-I Ltd.) at Killington Vermont, serving as assistant to the president. In 1977, he was appointed general manager of the company's Mount Snow Ski Resort and vice president of the Sherburne Corporation. In 1994, he returned to Killington to serve as S-K-I Ltd.'s vice president of business development. In 1995, he was appointed vice president of Vermont operations for S-K-I Ltd., in which capacity he also served as president of the Killington and Mount Snow resorts. He returned to Mount Snow to serve as vice president and managing director in 1996, upon S-K-I Ltd.'s acquisition by American Skiing Company (ASC).
In 1999, he moved to the Steamboat where he currently serves as president of the resort. Diamond is a past chairman of the National Ski Areas Association, and past board member of the Vermont Ski Areas Association. He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for Colorado Ski Country USA, the state trade association for the $2.5 billion Colorado ski industry.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, the Urban Renewal Authority Advisory Committee, the Yampa Valley Airport Advisory Commission, Board of Director of the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association and Government Affairs Committee of the National Ski Areas Association. Diamond earned a Bachelors degree from Middlebury College and a Masters degree from University of Massachusetts.
Paul Jorgensen
President & Chief Operating Officer
Mountain Creek Resort
Paul Jorgensen was appointed to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for Mountain Creek Resort in February 2008. In this position, Jorgensen is responsible for all aspects of Mountain Creek's resort operations, including real estate development and sales.
Jorgensen began his career with Intrawest in 2005 working as Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and moving up to his most recent position as Vice President of Mountain Operations. In that role, Jorgensen was responsible for leading the drive to optimize the winter operating models of our experiential destination resorts by identifying and implementing best in class operating strategies within mountain operations, maintenance and ski and ride school.
Jorgensen joined Intrawest from Boyne Resorts where he was their Chief Financial Officer. Their operations include Big Sky, Crystal Mountain and Brighton Resort. Prior to that he was an investment banker with Capital West Partners.
An enthusiastic leader and accomplished community representative, Jorgensen is committed to the health and well being of the community he calls home.
Jorgensen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Accountant.