Hi, I’m Greg. I have been in the business of tourism for over 25 years with a passion to helping tourism organizations and destinations find their own unique competitive advantages, but through tourism that respects the cultural and natural environments that make them so special.

As one of the founding partners of Twenty31 with Oliver Martin, eventually becoming Skift Advisory, I have worked with hundreds of tourism leaders from across Canada and around the world. And, while tourism has been driving global economies for more than a thousand years, it has developed over that time by accident resulting in many good but some challenging outcomes including overtourism and community, cultural, and environmental degradation. Our focus is a tourism that is developed more carefully – tourism developed by design.

Prior to Skift Advisory, I spent 13 years at Destination Canada as the Senior Vice President for marketing and strategy and finally leaving that organization as the President and Chief Executive Officer. During my tenure, Canada’s tourism brand rose to #1 in the world (Futurebrand) and Canada was declared the most recommended place to visit by the Reputation Institute. Destination Canada was also recognized as the Marketing organization of the year in 2010 by Canada’s Marketing Magazine and I was personally recognized as one of Canada’s top marketers by Strategy Magazine.

I hold a Master in Business Administration in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Victoria. I am a certified board director from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).

I have worked on tourism projects in over 25 countries, but home at the cottage on beautiful Vancouver Island is where I recharge the batteries with my family and friends. Interesting side note, my wife does all our vacation travel planning. Don’t ask!