New Baillis Mark Wilson, Calgary and - la Chaine des Rotisseurs ...

IN THE NEWS
David R. Tetrault, Bailli Délégué du Canada
Thanks to Jöri Guetg as retiring Argentier of
Canada. Welcome to Tony Catanese!
Jori Guetg.
Tony Catanese.
After three extremely successful
years as Argentier of Canada, Jöri
Guetg has decided to step down as
Argentier. Jöri is Director of
Operations with Canadian Mountain
Holidays, a new home in Cochrane,
two teenage kids and horses. He is
also an MBA, and is considering
studying for his CMA designation.
As you can see, his life has become
extremely busy (i.e. much busier),
and he has less time to focus on his
Chaîne work.
Over the past three years Jöri has
done an extraordinary job for the
Chaîne in Canada. Jöri has taken the
existing financial system and made it
more precise and easier to use, not
only for the Bailliage of Canada but
also for the Vice-Argentiers. I am
sure that your Vice-Argentier would
agree with me in this respect. My
thanks to Jöri for three exceptional
years in the position of Argentier and
my personal appreciation for the
advice and counsel Jöri has given me
and his dedication to the Chaîne in
Canada.
I would also like to welcome Tony
Catanese, CA, CBV, CFE from
Winnipeg to the position of Argentier
on the National Council, and wish
him success in this new position.
Tony is a chartered accountant and
Winnipeg Office Managing Partner of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the
office’s Audit and Assurance Practice
Leader. He has over 30 years of
experience in public practice, with
extensive involvement and experience
in assurance and accounting
services. Tony has managed the
annual audits of a broad spectrum of
corporations (public, private multinational
and government related
organizations) including those in the
broadcasting, food processing, newspaper,
retail, venture capital,
manufacturing, real estate, insurance
and construction sectors.
A Chevalier member since 2007,
Tony often travels internationally to
attend Chaîne functions. Tony is
married with two children and enjoys
golf, squash, travel, good food and
the company of friends. He currently
serves as Director and Chair of the
Capital Campaign for St. Paul’s High
School and is a member of the Major
Gifts Committee of the United Way
of Winnipeg, along with being Past
Treasurer and Director of the Health
Sciences Centre Research Foundation.
Welcome to New Baillis Mark Wilson, Calgary
and Susie Sirri, Nanaimo
We would like to also take this opportunity
to thank Cynthia Findlay, Bailli
Régional, Calgary, and Stephen
Burchert, Bailli Régional, Nanaimo,
for their years of dedicated leadership
to their Bailliages and to the Chaîne
nationally and internationally. As
they now take up their new
Honoraire positions, we would like to
welcome Mark Wilson and Susie Sirri
as the Bailli Régionaux for Calgary
and Nanaimo respectively. Here is a
background on the new Baillis.
Mark Wilson – A Background
A long and varied career in hospitality
has brought Mark to his current
position as the Vice-President of the
Hotel Arts Group.
This dynamic
hospitality group
has in its current
portfolio the
Hotel Arts, a 185-
room upscale
boutique hotel in
the heart of the
new downtown Calgary, and the
Kensington Riverside Inn a 19-room
boutique property in the trendy
Kensington area.
In these capacities Mark has
accomplished:
• Oversaw the repositioning of an
aging Holiday Inn that became
Hotel Arts.
• Established Hotel Arts as a major
player in the downtown market.
• Oversaw the expansion of Hotel
Art’s banquet spaces, providing
additional event space, a state-ofthe-art
banquet kitchen and a 9300
square foot ballroom.
• Oversaw the development of
Chef’s Table at Kensington
Riverside Inn which is now one of
the premier high end restaurants in
Calgary.
• Oversaw the development of
Yellow Door Bistro in Hotel Arts,
which opened in January 2013
Mark opened the Hyatt Regency
Calgary as the Director of Catering

and Conference Services and created
an immediate presence in the marketplace.
Mark also was Executive
Assistant Manager from 2000 to 2005,
overseeing both the Rooms and Food
and Beverage divisions.
Prior to the Hyatt, Mark honed his
leadership skills at the Westin Hotel
from 1985 – 2000. As the Banquet
Manager, Mark develop a training
program that elevated service standards
and instilled a foundational
commitment that enabled staff to
improve their professional practice
and do well. His assistants ultimately
assumed senior leadership roles in
other hotels. As the Director of
Catering and Convention Services at
the Westin, his team achieved or
exceeded planned goals every year.
Mark’s early career at the Westin
saw him work as a front line leader
in a variety of capacities including
Maître d’hôtel of the famous Owl’s
Nest Dining Room and Lounge,
Senior Banquet and Mid-Shift
Captain.
Mark is a graduate of the Southern
Institute of Technology [SAIT
Polytechnic] in Hotel and Restaurant
Management. Attesting to his passion
for learning, Mark won scholarships
in each year of his enrollment.
In order to give back to his profession,
Mark is a member and participant
in:
• Board of Directors – Tourism
Calgary
• Prostate Cancer Fundraiser Board
Member
• Advisory Board – Hospitality
Program SAIT Polytechnic
• Alberta Tourism Education Counsel
– Standards Committee
Susie Sirri – A Background
Susie Sirri was born in Washington
DC. She spent 9 years in Abu-Dhabi,
UAE, then moved to West Vancouver
in 1987 and graduated with a
Bachelors in Criminology from Simon
Fraser University. Her family built
and own the Grand Hotel in
Nanaimo, but she did not begin
working there for some time.
Susie worked in Silicon Valley
during the dot com boom at Westin
Palo Alto and Sheraton Palo Alto,
California. She also worked at the historic
Westin St. Francis-San Francisco
as a Conference Manager. She then
moved to Qatar for 6 years and
worked at the Aljazeera TV Station.
Susie also worked for the Qatari Diar,
the investment arm of the country.
In 2010, she moved back to
Nanaimo as Director of Operations at
The Grand Hotel. Susie currently
serves as a Director on the Board of
the Nanaimo and District Hospital
Foundation, and is also on the board
of the Nanaimo Art Gallery.