The Revelstoke-based Canadian Avalanche Centre has announced their new Executive Director Gilles Valade, who takes over from acting Executive Director Karl Klassen.
The announcement came in an April 26 media release:
After a competition that attracted many highly talented applicants, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is very pleased to announce that the position of Executive Director has been awarded to Gilles Valade.
For the past ten years, Gilles has been the Chair of the Adventure Studies Department at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, B.C. In addition to his extensive outdoor experience, Gilles has an MBA from the University of Guelph and is a Chartered Insurance Professional with the Insurance Institute of Canada. As a senior lecturer at TRU he has taught courses in many different subjects, including business adventure operations, risk management, accounting and international business.
“I am honoured to have been selected to assume this role and I am quite excited about this new chapter in my life,” said Gilles. “I look forward to working alongside the team and building on the great work that has been accomplished since the CAC was incorporated in 2004. I am also looking forward to a strong and productive relationship with the CAC’s board, its members and its partners.”
Gilles will be working closely with acting Executive Director Karl Klassen over the coming summer months, explained CAC President Ross Cloutier. “We are grateful for Karl’s leadership over the past season. The CAC has been in good hands while we conducted our search for a full-time Executive Director.”
“We were very excited by the number and calibre of applicants we received from across the country,” added Ross. “It was a tough competition but Gilles’ experience in a wide range of fields relevant to this position gave him the clear edge. The CAC is the acknowledged world leader in public avalanche safety and our staff is passionate about developing and delivering effective, efficient programs and services. Under Gilles’ leadership I feel confident we will continue this proud tradition.”
