Andrew Siegwart brings a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to his role at TIAO. In his eight years as President and CEO of the Blue Mountain Village Association (BMVA), Andrew delivered exceptional advocacy results by building stakeholder coalitions, strengthening government relationships, and raising the organization's public profile. Under his leadership, BMVA achieved significant milestones, including increased member engagement, award-winning destination marketing programs, financial sustainability, and regional economic development. Previously, as Senior Vice-President at the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), he successfully led critical business units and specialized teams, including events, education, sponsorship, communications, membership, research, and program development. His advocacy efforts, particularly in addressing key issues such as labor supply and workforce development, demonstrated his ability to work with a diverse membership base, tackle emerging challenges, and build strong coalitions and partnerships. Mr. Siegwart's passion for community development is evident in his volunteer experiences, where he has contributed to initiatives aimed at increasing workforce and community housing development as a Director of the Town of The Blue Mountain's Attainable Housing Corporation. He also co-founded The LGBTQIA Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the community and economy. Andrew Siegwart brings a strong commitment to aligning with and championing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action and applying them to the tourism industry. His experience with BMVA has provided valuable insights in the area of reconciliation, and he is eager to learn and work with Indigenous communities and organizations in support of this important goal.

With extensive years of leadership and management experience in the hospitality sectors, Carol epitomizes the power of rapport and relationship building.  Carol has represented many hospitality brands throughout North America, in addition to her consulting firm, G.A.P Solutions.  Carol has assembled teams, opened hotels, provided training for sales professionals, and management training for leaders in the hospitality network. conducted business audits, rebuilding teams through hiring, coaching & success focused development.  Carol’s focus within the tourism industry, Carol is grounded in listening to the operators and building critical key relationships to allow for a stronger collaboration to support TIAO's advocacy message

As TIAO’s Vice President of Public Affairs, Madison Simmons brings over a decade of experience in public affairs, government relations, and association management, including 4 years spent working closely with the tourism sector. 

From 2021 to 2023, Madison served as Director of Government Affairs with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) in Ottawa, Ontario, representing over 600 tourism businesses nationwide. Madison effectively advocated for member businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing and fostering relationships with tourism stakeholders, department officials and Parliamentarians. Madison worked on the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses campaign from inception, which successfully advocated for creating and passing Bill C-2 in December 2021, ensuring sector-specific support continued for the tourism and hospitality industries.

Before TIAC, Madison worked as a Consultant Lobbyist with Impact Public Affairs for three years. Madison worked with a broad spectrum of teams and stakeholders in the tourism, hospitality, healthcare and automotive industries in the development and advocacy of strategic policy initiatives, including leading government relations and public relations activities. Before Impact, Madison held various positions with communications and branding agencies in Toronto and Vancouver.

Madison is currently in level 5 of the Canadian Society of Association Executive’s (CSAE) ‘Certified Association Executive’ program, working to obtain certification as a CAE.

Madison has a strong track record of quality work, maintaining relationships and delivering positive outcomes on critical organizational priorities.

Madison lives in Toronto with her husband Mike, her dog Toby, and is expecting her first child in July 2023.

Jessica is a public policy professional with over five years of experience in policy research, analysis, and development. In addition to PhD training in social policy (London School of Economics), she brings experience working with political parties and administrations to influence decision makers in Canada and the UK. Previously, she taught global public policy seminars at the London School of Economics and the LSE-Peking University Summer School in Beijing.

Originally from Turkiye, Şimal moved to Canada in 2017. A seasoned professional in the tourism and hospitality industry for over several years, Şimal has worked in several fields and industries, in areas related to communications, learning and development, event-planning. 

Şimal holds an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from Centennial College. During her time at Centennial, Şimal was a collaborator for the conception of the “Food for Unity” business model, a financially sustainable social venture with the objective of reducing carbon footprint whilst brining communities together; the “Food for Unity” pitch earned second prize in the 2020 Global Goals Jam.

She was also a part of Centennial’s School of Tourism Applied Research Abroad Project (ARAP) in Morocco. In this ARAP, Şimal worked with women’s collectives, associations, and tourism operators to create multidisciplinary “Train-the-Trainer” programs and strategies for sustainable tourism and community development.

Currently, Şimal works as a Communications & Multimedia Specialist at the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Her multifaceted talents in digital marketing, graphic design, photography, and UX research contribute to TIAO’s vision of connecting the tourism industry through a unified voice.

Şimal’s goal in the tourism industry is to be a part of the positive change in the industry’s workforce, and advocate for the future of purposeful travel that benefits communities.

Simone achieved her Advanced Diploma from Centennial College’s Hospitality and Tourism Administration program. During her time at the College, she has participated in many extra-curricular activities such as winning the research competition Global Capstone Project, the multi-college innovation contest - SDGs Global Goals Jam, and the nationwide Baxter Student Ambassador Program. She was also a leading member of Centennial College's UNWTO Student League.  

Simone has 8 years of customer service experience in the retail industry and the nonprofit sector.