ANTONSON STEPPING DOWN

After 20 years, Rick Antonson, the president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, is leaving the post that he\’s held for two decades. Antonson is stepping down to become a full-time book author in June of 2014.
Tourism Vancouver board chair Bob Lindsay made the announcement, saying, \”We began planning this over two years ago at Rick\’s request, so the transition is strategic. Tourism Vancouver and our industry are heading into some of the most exciting and successful years, so the timing for this transition is very good.\”
Each year, Vancouver welcomes about 8.3 million visitors and they spend nearly $3.6 billion annually, making tourism the largest industry in Vancouver, a significant employer and a strong link between Vancouver\’s cultural community and the rest of the world. Vancouver enjoys a diverse tourism mix of international conventions, cruises, tour groups from around the world, and individual visitors.
On stepping down, Antonson said: \”I\’ve always seen myself in this role as like the third runner in a four lap relay. If you want to be on the winning team, it\’s all about the next runner – and that means the hand-off has to be perfect. Management and the Board have had lots of time to plan this transition, so it will go smoothly and set up the organization and our tourism industry for continued successes with the new CEO.\”
Antonson will remain as CEO until June 2014 or until such time as his successor has been hired. Tourism Vancouver has retained the executive search firm Odgers Berndtson to conduct an international search for the organization\’s next president and CEO. The Board of Directors has established a search committee to oversee the selection process.
Go to http://www.tourismvancouver.com for more.