MICHAEL PHILLIPS (Chairman)
Michael Phillips is retired as Senior Vice-President, Investments
of GrowthWorks Capital Ltd., which manages the Working Opportunity
Fund in British Columbia, Canada. The Working Opportunity Fund
is a uniquely Canadian form of financial institution dedicated
to providing risk capital to a wide range of entrepreneurial
business in B.C.
Prior to joining GrowthWorks Capital Ltd., Mr. Phillips spent over
twenty years with financial and venture capital businesses such as
Vencap Equities Alberta Ltd. and Business Development Bank.
Mr. Phillips is currently a director on the boards of nine Canadian
companies including Armstrong Group (owners and
operators of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations) where he has served as
a director since 1991 and as Chairman since 1998.
Mr. Phillips resides in Vancouver, Canada.
PETER R.B. ARMSTRONG
Peter Armstrong is the Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and a principal
of the Armstrong Group, owner and operator
of the Rocky Mountaineer Vacations.
In 1989, Mr. Armstrong assembled the successful team to bid on
the fledgling Rocky Mountaineer service that was being operated
by Via Rail, a subsidized federal crown corporation. The company's
turnaround and subsequent success has been achieved without government
subsidy.
Mr. Armstrong contributes considerable time to public causes. He is a Governor of the Council for Canadian Unity, with past contributions as Chair of Tourism Vancouver, Chair of the Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Task Force, Vice Chair of Tourism British Columbia and a board member of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
He is a recipient of the Canadian Venture Capital Association's
Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur
of the Year Award for Tourism and Hospitality and the Queen's
Golden Jubilee Medal for contribution to Canadian communities.
He has also been inducted into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame.
Mr. Armstrong is native of New Brunswick, and has been a resident of Vancouver, British Columbia for over 40 years.
GEOFFREY LIPMAN
Geoffrey Lipman is Special Advisor to the Secretary General World Tourism Organization for Trade in Tourism Services. He is Chairman of Green Globe 21 the worldwide sustainable tourism certification organization, of the GGv Sustainable Tourism Laboratory and of GTREX a 4th generation internet development company. Mr. Lipman spent 20 years with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he was Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs.
Mr. Lipman was the first President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global business leaders forum of Chairmen and CEO's from all sectors of the Travel & Tourism industry.
Mr. Lipman has written and lectured around the world on tourism strategy and airline liberalization, He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport, the Tourism Society and the Australian Tourism Research Association.
Mr. Lipman resides in Brussels, Belgium.
JIM DINNING
Jim Dinning serves as chairman of the board of directors of Western Financial Group. As well, he serves as a director on a number of public, private and not for profit boards.
Western Financial Group is a leading western Canadian-based financial services company with a focus on rural markets. The Company provides more than 180,000 customers with insurance, investment and banking services through its WFG Agency Network, Bank West and The Western Mutual Fund Company.
Until December, 2004 Mr. Dinning held the position of executive vice president, TransAlta Corporation. Prior to joining TransAlta in 1997, Mr. Dinning held several key positions during his 11 years as a member of the legislative assembly in Alberta. Of note is Mr. Dinning’s service as provincial treasurer from 1992 to 1997.
Mr. Dinning is a graduate of Queen’s University with two degrees: a Bachelor of Commerce in 1974 and a Masters in Public Administration in 1977. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary in 2002.
Mr. Dinning is married with four children and resides in Calgary.
TOM CHAMBERS - Senior Advisor
Tom Chambers is an experienced professional accountant, senior executive, corporate director and business advisor having served for 26 years as as Partner in senior management roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP while advising a wide range of clients. He is an acknowledged leader within the profession and business community on strategic and corporate governance issues. He currently serves on the boards of Terasen, Norske, and the Victorian Order of Nurses among others.
JIM GOUK
Jim Gouk is semi retired after a career which included 22 years with Transport Canada and 4 terms as the Member of Parliament for BC Southern Interior. During his time in Parliament, Mr. Gouk served as Chief Opposition Transport critic and vice chair of the Standing Committee on Transport. He also owned and operated a residential construction company for 15 years.
Mr. Gouk is also a member of the Board of Directors of Nav Canada and an air transport industry consultant.
Mr. Gouk resides in Castlegar, BC and Surprise, Arizona. |
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SAMUEL H. GUDEWILL
Samuel Gudewill is the Chief Executive Officer of Innovex Equities
Corporation, an unaffiliated Vancouver-based investment firm.
Mr. Gudewill has been a director and a principal shareholder
of Versacold, a leading North American supplier of frozen and
refrigerated storage, distribution and processing services to
the food industry. He has also served as Chairman of the Board
of Versacold and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer.
In addition, he is a major shareholder in the Pacific Group
of Companies.
Mr. Gudewill resides in Vancouver, Canada.
MAC NORRIS - Honourary Director
Mac Norris has a distinguished railroad career over the last 50 years. His career was spent with Canadian Pacific Railway, Pacific Great Eastern, British Columbia Railway Company, BC Rail and the BC Rail Group of Companies. From 1978 to 1989 he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of BC Rail and the BC Rail Group of Companies.
Mr. Norris graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Forest Engineering.
Mr. Norris has been a board member of Armstrong Group since its inception in 1990 and was instrumental in assisting the company in its acquisition of the Rocky Mountaineer.
The 9502 GoldLeaf dome coach operated by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations has been named in Mr. Norris' honour. He is also a honorary director of the West Coast Railway Association and in September 2005 was named as a honourary director of Armstrong Group.
LAURA-LEE ARMSTRONG
Laura-Lee Armstrong is a native of Victoria, British Columbia. Her professional career encompasses a wide spectrum of experience within both the forest and tourism industries. Ms. Armstrong's forestry background includes positions within the U.S. rail, timber wholesale and export market segments with corporations such as Weldwood Industries and BC Timber. Her tourism experience includes FIT management experience with Gray Line Tours.
Ms. Armstrong graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry.
Ms. Armstrong offers a great deal of time to local major event charities and has contributed significant community volunteer time to Family Services of the North Shore, Kenneth Gordon School and Fraser Academy School.
Ms. Armstrong resides in West Vancouver, Canada.
AL DUERR
Al Duerr is currently Managing Director of First West Resource Management Ltd, an Alberta company engaged in resource and infrastructure development with First Nations. Immediately prior to assuming his current position at First West, Mr. Duerr served as CEO of Emergo Projects International and Emergo China Limited, Dutch owned international investment companies.
Prior to joining Emergo, Mr. Duerr served as the Mayor of Calgary, Alberta for twelve years, from 1989 to 2001. In this capacity, over subsequent terms of office, Mr. Duerr obtained the highest level of public support of any Mayor in Calgary's history. Mr. Duerr's political experience also saw him serve two terms of office as an Alderman for the City of Calgary.
Mr. Duerr's career has included extensive international involvement both in the public and private sectors, especially in Asia. He was a founder and President of an environmental technologies company in Malaysia, a Project and District Manager of an Alberta based Land Development Company, and a City Planner for the City of Calgary.
Mr. Duerr earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Urban Geography from the University of Saskatchewan and a Masters of Business Administration (Honours) from the University of Calgary. He has held and continues to hold numerous positions on Boards and Committees in Calgary and across the country.
Mr. Duerr resides in Calgary, Canada.
NICK HAFNER
Nick Hafner was the former Vice President, Air and Sea of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. where he was responsible for planning, operations, automation and delivery of airline travel as part of the cruise guest experience for the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruise brands.
Prior to joining Royal Caribbean in 1999, Mr. Hafner spent twelve years in senior sales and marketing management positions with American Airlines while based in California and Texas.
Mr. Hafner received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Mr. Hafner resides in Miami, Florida, USA.
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