Independent Director & Strategic Advisor
Four decades of building, operating, and governing — before ever calling himself an advisor.
Most strategic advisors bring frameworks. I bring four decades of scar tissue, hard-won judgment, and a track record of building, operating, and successfully exiting real businesses...before ever calling myself an advisor. I work with a select number of mid-market operators, founders, and boards who need more than a report. They need a strategic partner who has made the hard calls.
Background
I served as Board Chair of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), a statutory regulator responsible for consumer protection and industry oversight across 2,400 registered travel businesses in Ontario. I was the first ministerially appointed Chair under TICO's restructured governance model. I led the board through a governance restructuring, an Auditor General Value for Money Audit, a new industry funding model, and the launch of a modernized education and certification platform — reporting directly to the responsible Minister throughout. Term concluded February 2026.
I opened and operated two Ottawa hotel properties over 30 years. The Best Western Plus Ottawa Downtown Suites opened in 1990 — I hired all staff, oversaw the project from distressed acquisition through construction, and negotiated the franchise agreement. The Albert at Bay Suite Hotel followed in 1995, where I led the full conversion to a suite hotel operation. Both properties earned top quality designations from their respective brands and were sold in October 2020.
In 1996, I launched BookDirect — one of the earliest internet hotel booking engines globally. The platform integrated with the Amadeus Global Distribution System, enabling real-time booking access to more than 90,000 hotels worldwide, and scaled across hundreds of properties including Delta Hotels and Westmont Hospitality. I founded and led Spyre Infostructure Inc. for 18 years, navigating the entire arc from pre-internet distribution through the GDS era, the OTA disruption, and the early mobile transition. That arc — from dial-up to Expedia — is the reason I can advise on AI disruption today.
President, Ottawa Gatineau Hotel & Motel Association. Vice President, Ontario Hotel & Motel Association. Member, Best Western International Marketing Advisory Board. Contributor, Canadian Tourism Research Institute at the Conference Board of Canada. Member, Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).
Career at a Glance
Michael is by far the most insightful strategist I have ever worked with, and I have worked with some of the best. One of the few people who share a "moon-view" of the world.Norman Evans — Creative Director, The Creative Marketing Network Inc.
Start Here
No pitch. No pressure. A focused discussion about where you are, where you want to go, and whether I can help you get there.