Tourism Nova Scotia has hired a permanent chief executive officer. The board of directors announced today, March 29, Michele Saran is joining the organization.
Ms. Saran is currently executive director of Business Events Canada, a division of Destination Canada.
As CEO, Michele will be responsible for the day to day operations of the organization and will lead the implementation of Tourism Nova Scotia's strategy to attract more first-time visitors to the province. This will help Nova Scotia meet the Ivany report goal of doubling tourism revenues to $4 billion by 2024.
"This is an exciting day for Tourism Nova Scotia, and Michele is exactly who we need to lead the organization as we execute a new, aggressive approach to growing tourism," said Ben Cowan-Dewar, chair of the board of directors."
"Michele has the senior management experience and international destination marketing expertise to help us sell Nova Scotia globally and achieve the results we're looking for."
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity and look forward to working with the board of directors and employees of Tourism Nova Scotia, as well as the broader tourism industry," said Ms. Saran. "I love Nova Scotia and feel fortunate to be taking this next step in my career with a mandate to grow the tourism sector and economy of the province."
"Michele did a tremendous job at Destination Canada ensuring Canada punched above its weight in the highly competitive business events space," said David Goldstein, president and CEO of Destination Canada. "We look forward to growing our already strong partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia under her leadership."
Ms. Saran will move from Vancouver to Halifax to start her new position on May 16. For more information go to http://tourismns.ca/sites/default/files/michele_saran_bio.pdf
Tourism Nova Scotia was established as a Crown corporation in 2015 and is led by a private sector board consisting of 10 directors, including tourism industry and business leaders from across the province. As the steward of Nova Scotia's tourism brand and chief marketer, Tourism Nova Scotia is focused on attracting more first-time visitors to Nova Scotia.