TORONTO — ACTA President Wendy Paradis has announced a “new organizational structure” that she says will better serve members across the country and simplify roles and responsibilities.

“Since my arrival as President last May and with the support of the ACTA Board of Directors, I took the time to review the current organizational structure and evaluate whether it puts ACTA in the best position to tackle the opportunities and challenges that face today’s travel agencies. As a result of that review, we are announcing a new organizational structure of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies,” she said.

As per the new structure, Heather Craig-Peddie has been named Vice President, Advocacy and Member Relations, while Christine Chilton is now Director, Education and Certification. Marco Pozzobon’s new title is Director, Marketing, Communication, Partnerships. A new position – Director, Membership – has yet to be filled.

According to Paradis, the appointment of a Vice President of Advocacy and Member Relations will allocate more resources to the association’s advocacy efforts. This change will place a stronger emphasis on ACTA’s role as the leading advocate for Canadian travel agencies, and will better position ACTA to respond to national and provincial issues that affect its members.

The Director of Membership will play an integral role in the management of ACTA’s larger national and group accounts, enabling ACTA’s membership managers to focus on supporting their members in their territory through advocacy and education. The new territories are Western Canada, Quebec and Eastern Canada, and will be staffed by full-time employees. Membership managers will also lead the regional councils within their respective territories.

These organizational changes will have no impact on the Provincial Regional Councils or the makeup of ACTA’s Board of Directors.