Executive Job
Search Opportunities
Chief Executive Officer – Tourism Calgary (WR: 714)
Tourism Calgary
We are very excited to have partnered with Tourism Calgary in its search for its next CEO. Click here for the full announcement about Tourism Calgary’s CEO transition.
About Tourism Calgary
Tourism Calgary is the official destination management organization for Calgary. Its purpose is to work closely with industry and community partners to drive demand to local member businesses, increasing the economic impact of the visitor economy in Calgary, while also considering the needs of the community and the environment.
The CEO Search
Tourism Calgary is seeking a driven, collaborative and results-oriented leader to join the organization as Chief Executive Officer/ Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will have overall responsibility for the management and operation of Tourism Calgary, working collaboratively with the Board and the organization’s leadership team to build strategy and advance the organization’s objectives.
The CEO will provide strategic leadership and vision to the organization, which is made up of about 70 employees. Equally important will be the CEO’s ability to collaborate and build partnerships beyond the walls of Tourism Calgary to advance Tourism Calgary’s business plan and to help build the city of Calgary’s next Destination Strategy. While not an exhaustive list, those partnerships include senior officials of the civic, provincial, and federal government and agencies of each, industry contacts, leaders of attractions, contributors to the tourism and hospitality industry, the media, and the general public.
Tourism Calgary and its next CEO will embark on a new 10-year strategy for the destination with an incredible array of new projects to leverage, such as the BMO Convention Centre expansion, the new Event Centre and Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment district, the redevelopment of Arts Commons and Glenbow Museum, and the development of Calgary’s winter festival, Chinook Blast – all of which will continue to enrich the lives of Calgarians and attract visitors for decades to come.
Who We’re Looking For
We’re looking for dynamic organizational leaders with a penchant for partnership building, sales and marketing, who will help move Tourism Calgary into its next season of growth. Specifically, candidates qualified for this role will bring:
Education
- A Bachelors/Masters degree in Business, Marketing, Tourism or a related discipline
Leadership Experience
- A minimum of 5 years’ experience in an executive leadership role, ideally including experience specifically in a CEO role or working directly with a Board of Directors
- Extensive senior leadership experience in directing an organization, preferably with a marketing and sales mandate and dealing with a broad array of stakeholders
- Knowledge of financial analysis and proven ability to manage significant resources
- Experience leading and inspiring high-performance teams
- An ability to lead and manage change and negotiate innovative solutions to complex issues
Communication & Relationship Building Expertise
- A track record of successfully building and executing complex partnership strategies
- Demonstrated experience building relationships with both elected officials and members of government agencies, ideally at each of the civic, provincial and federal levels
- Significant experience serving in an externally facing senior leadership role, interfacing regularly with senior members of government (both elected officials and members of their agencies), the business community, and the community at large
- Demonstrated collaboration skills and proven success in a multi-stakeholder environment
- Exceptional verbal, listening, written and inter-personal communications skills working with a wide variety of stakeholders and diverse groups
Industry Expertise
- A background in Destination Management in particular will be considered a strong asset
- Experience leading a high-performing sales team and an aptitude to deliver strong sales objectives will be a definite asset
If this sounds like you, we’d love to connect. Please reach out to Erin Dand, Client Partner at Pekarsky & Co. at [email protected] for more information.
Job Features
| Job Category | Executive |
