Executive Team |
The Intrawest Executive Team is made up of some of the most experienced individuals in the industry. These individuals are:
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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 oversees the day-to-day management and operations of each of the company's resort properties. In addition, he is 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.
Jensen brings over 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, corporate development, internal controls, treasury and taxation. In addition, he oversees Intrawest's Information Technology group.
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
Business Advisor
In March 2009, Hugh Smythe announced his retirement from Intrawest. Today, he remains actively involved in an advisory capacity to the Intrawest Senior Management Team. Smythe is a 43 year veteran of the ski industry and he has been with Intrawest since 1986 in several key leadership roles, including 20 years as President of Resort Operations. Prior to his retirement, he served as Senior Vice President of Intrawest Mountain Resorts where he oversaw the management of Intrawest's eastern resorts as well as the Company's cross-resort business platforms including Food & Beverage functions and Rental/Retail operations.
Hugh 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. In 1978, his success as General Manager at Fortress Mountain led him to convince the Aspen Skiing Company and the Federal Business Development Bank to pursue proposal calls for development of Blackcomb Mountain in British Columbia.
As President of Blackcomb, Smythe directed the project through its inception, planning and construction up to the mountain's opening in December 1980, and also led its ongoing growth as one of the top mountain resorts. In 1986, he attracted the attention of Intrawest which led to the acquisition of Blackcomb by the Vancouver-based real estate development company. Under Smythe's direction, the resort went through a major expansion the following year which resulted in Blackcomb achieving the status as Canada's premier ski resort.
Prior to his current role, Smythe held responsibility for the executive management of all of Intrawest's mountain resorts. His leadership expertise has been instrumental in the growth of the company from a single resort in 1986 to its position today as a leader in the development and management of experiential destination resorts.
Smythe is one of the most experienced and respected individuals in the ski industry. His contributions to the industry have been recognized internationally by numerous awards and accolades.Stephen Richards
Chief Legal Officer
Stephen Richards was appointed as Intrawest's new Chief Legal Officer on August 5, 2008. In this position, Richards is responsible for all of the legal services and corporate governance matters for Intrawest. He is committed to building our Intrawest legal centre of excellence and he has company-wide responsibility and decision-making authority to implement common legal processes across all resort operations, Intrawest Hospitality Management, real estate operations (Placemaking and Playground) and all central corporate functions at Intrawest.
Richards brings more than 20 years of senior legal experience and of adding value to both private and public businesses. He has a demonstrated track record of success in the areas of litigation management, enterprise insurance underwriting, human resources/employment matters, real estate transactions, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and partnership structuring, as well as general corporate commercial matters.
Prior to joining Intrawest, Richards served as general counsel and corporate secretary for Imperial Parking Group, an industry leader in transportation infrastructure management in Canada. He also held several leadership positions within the corporate law group at Terasen Inc., a leading Canadian provider of energy and utility services.
Richards earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of British Columbia, and he was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 1986. As a Vancouver resident committed to serving his community, he previously acted as Director, Crime Stoppers of Greater Vancouver, and now currently serves as Director and Chair, Community Home Support Services Association.
Steve Sammut
Chief Financial Officer
Intrawest Real Estate
As Chief Financial Officer for Intrawest's Real Estate Division, Steve Sammut is responsible for the financial oversight of the entire real estate organization, including structure, policies and procedures, reporting, as well as debt and equity relationships.
Sammut joined Intrawest in 1999 as Director of Project Finance and progressively gained more responsibility within the Corporate Finance group as he was promoted to Vice President, Project & Corporate Finance and then to Senior Vice President & Corporate Treasurer. Over the course of this nine-year period, he oversaw the treasury and financing functions across all of Intrawest's businesses.
Prior to joining Intrawest, Sammut spent four years at CIBC World Markets in Toronto, Ontario. Here he began his career within the Corporate Media & Communications division and, after 2 years, joined the Corporate Real Estate division as an Associate-Director and then was promoted to Director. Within this division, Sammut managed the credit underwriting process for corporate real estate clients.
Sammut has a Chartered Financial Analyst designation (2000) and earned his Master of Business Administration from McMaster University / Manchester Business School (1995). He also attended the University of Toronto where he received an Honours Bachelor of Science (1993).Don Shindle
General Manager of the Westin Verasa Napa and Regional Vice President Intrawest Hospitality Management
Don Shindle was appointed to the position of General Manager at The Westin Verasa Napa in January 2008 and he is responsible for all aspects of hotel and condominium operations at Napa's first four-star condo-hotel. He also serves as the Regional Vice President Intrawest Hospitality Management, a role in which he oversees all aspects of resort operations at The Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth, California, The Westin Imagine in Orlando, Florida, The Westin Trillium House at Blue Mountain in Ontario, as well as Montelago Village Resort at Lake Las Vegas, The Village at Squaw Valley and Honua Kai Resort & Spa in Kaanapali, Hawaii.
Shindle brings over 30 years of hospitality management expertise to his position at Intrawest. Throughout his distinguished career he has held senior management positions at numerous hotel and resort properties throughout Canada, including The Algonquin Hotel in New Brunswick, The CP Hotel Chateau Halifax, The Delta Chelsea Inn in Toronto and the Delta St. Eugene Mission Golf Resort in Cranbrook, British Columbia. In addition, Shindle spent more than 14 years in senior management positions at several premiere hotel operations in Whistler, British Columbia. These include: The Westin Resort and Spa, The Residence Inn by Marriott and The Whistler Lodging Company.
An enthusiastic leader and accomplished community representative, Shindle is on the Board of Directors for the Napa Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Advisors for the Hospitality Program at the Napa Valley College and has been an active member of Rotary Club International. He is a member of the Coaching Association of Canada and he previously served as an assistant coach at Simon Fraser University and the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Shindle has also been a proud auxiliary member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police since 1993.
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 c
ustomer 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.
John Russell
Senior Vice President Operations and Regional Vice President Intrawest Hospitality Management Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
John Russell was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President Operations Sandestin and Regional Vice President, Intrawest Hospitality Management in January 2009. In this position, Russell is responsible for all aspects of Sandestin's resort operations including four championship golf courses, The Village of Baytowne Wharf and all of the resort's homeowner neighborhoods and hotel accommodations. He also serves as the Regional Vice President for the Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Residence Inn, both located at Sandestin, as well as Cottage Rental Agency in Seaside, Florida.
Throughout his career, Russell has held General Manager positions at seven different properties across two premier international hotel brands, the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where he worked from 1979-1994, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, from 1994-2003. During his nine year tenure with the Ritz-Carlton, he managed several luxury hotels including properties in New Orleans, Virginia, and San Juan (Puerto Rico).
Immediately prior to joining Intrawest, he was a partner in The West Paces Hotel Group, which was established in 2003. During his tenure he held several executive level positions including Vice President and Managing Director at The Daufuskie Island Resort and Breathe Spa in South Carolina (March 2006 to present) and Vice President and General Manager at The Hotel at Auburn University in Alabama (February 2003 to March 2006).
Russell graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University.
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.
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.
Frank DeBerry
President & Chief Operating Officer
Mountain Creek Resort
Frank DeBerry was appointed to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for Mountain Creek in November 2008. In this position, DeBerry is responsible for all aspects of Mountain Creek's resort operations.
DeBerry began his career with Intrawest when Intrawest purchased Mountain Creek in 1998, and has a long-standing history working within the Mountain Creek leadership team. He most recently held the position of Vice President and General Manager of Mountain Creek where he was responsible for leading the senior operating team and staff in achieving the financial, guest experience, and employee engagement objectives.
Prior to joining Intrawest, Frank also served at the Senior Manager level at a number of outdoor activity centers in New York and New Jersey, including Action Park and Vernon Valley / Great Gorge, the site which later became known as Mountain Creek.
DeBerry graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University at Albany in New York. He
also attended the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester in New York.