PEOPLE March 24, 2020

Madone Pelan is the new general manager of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Oak Bay, B.C. Pelan brings more than 25 years of experience to her new role. She originally joined the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in 2015 as its sales and marketing director. She succeeds Michelle Le Sage, who stepped down after eight years to pursue other opportunities. Le Sage is a former BC Hotelier of the Year. “I have complete confidence in [Pelan] to lead The Oak Bay Beach Hotel team and expand on the hotel’s reputation as a preferred hotel for visitors around the world,” Le Sage said.

Alana Baker has been appointed senior director, policy and public affairs with the Hotel Association of Canada. She was previously director of government relations, serving in that role for nearly three years. She joined the association in 2017, bringing with her extensive experience in public relations and event management. She spent 12 years with Impact Public Affairs Corp. following her graduation from the University of Ottawa with a postgraduate certificate in business administration.

Pooja Rajmohan is leading sales at the Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. She was appointed sales director earlier this month. She was previously director of the sales centre with Fiji Marriott, overseeing sales for a complex of resorts including the Sheraton Fiji Resort, Westin Denarau Resort and Spa, Sheraton Denarau Villas and Sheraton Tokoriki Resort and Spa. The complex includes the largest indoor convention space in the South Pacific. She previously worked in India, where she obtained a diploma in hotel management from the Institute of Hotel Management in 1998.

Toronto’s Chelsea Hotel has promoted Jim Stewart to human resources director. Jim is a seasoned business and HR professional with many years’ experience in the hospitality sector. His experience has provided him with extensive knowledge in people management, leadership development and other facets of human resources and training. He succeeds the hotel’s long-time HR leader, Bud Harvey, who died in July 2019, having served 18 years with the company.

Also ascending the ranks is Shalin Parikh, who steps into the role of human resources manager at the Chelsea. Parikh has distinguished himself in many human resources roles over the past eight years, and in 2017 received the Hotel Association of Canada’s Aspiring Hotelier award.