Ellen Walker-Matthews

TOTA Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Ellen Walker-Matthews has over 40 years of experience in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry, with a career that included senior and regional positions with CP (Fairmont) Hotels, Delta Hotels and Tepic Management / Rim Hospitality.  Her roles in these organizations included working with new and existing properties to oversee their sales and marketing departments, develop and execute marketing plans, evaluate and purchase media, work directly with Travel Trade and Travel Media,  implemented promotional activities and assist management teams in building strategic business plans to drive revenues and competitively position properties within their respective marketplaces. She also worked in the capacity of both General Manager at a property level and as a Regional Sr Vice President. 

In addition to her work in the hotel industry EWM also worked as a hospitality consultant for Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF), as a sales and management trainer with Xerox Learning Systems and co-founded KMSC Hospitality which specialized in sales and marketing training for the hospitality industry.

Since 2009, EWM has worked with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association in many areas of the organization including lead roles in Consumer Marketing, Travel Trade/Travel Media, Industry/Destination Development and most recently as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective July 2021.