Paul Nursey is the CEO of Destination Greater Victoria.  He is a highly accomplished tourism marketing, strategy, and branding expert who is widely regarded as one of Canada’s top tourism policy minds. Paul’s 29 years of tourism management and leadership experience includes holding leadership positions with the Canadian Tourism Commission, Rocky Mountaineer Rail Tours, Mount Seymour Resorts, Destination Canada and Tourism Vancouver. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Destinations International Foundation and previously served on the Board of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada as the Advocacy Committee Chair. 

Sophia Hyder Hock brings over 20 years of expertise in diversity, social inclusion, gender empowerment, and community engagement. She applies human-centered design and mindfulness to create sustainable, performance-aligned outcomes. With experience managing development program budgets exceeding $145M, Sophia has spoken at universities, travel events, and entrepreneurial platforms on practical inclusion initiatives. Having traveled to over 40 countries, she is passionate about learning from diverse cultures and histories.