Meet the Leading spas of canada Board of directors
Leading Spas of Canada’s Board of Directors draws from spa professionals across Canada
Chair: Julie Simcox
Julie is Spa Director, Spa at Langdon Hall. After graduating from Laurentian University in Sudbury, On, Julie found her true passion in the field of esthetics and went on to graduate from Marvel in Toronto in 1997. With quite a few years in the industry working as an esthetician, she went on to teach esthetics in both Toronto and then in Solihull, England. She settled back in southern Ontario in 2008 where she has been the Spa Director at Langdon Hall since.
Co-Vice Chair: Katherine Asmono
With over 25 years devoted to the skin care industry, people development, and business management, Katherine co-founded and launched the award-winning Canadian brand Eltraderm Skin Care with the vision of revolutionizing the skin care industry and taking the Eltraderm Brand beyond industry standards by delivering on product performance and optimizing professional treatments to achieve the best results.
Co-Vice Chair and Treasurer: Amanda O'Shea
Amanda started out her career as a CIDESCO trained Esthetician in Ireland. After delivering treatments at sea onboard a luxury cruise line, she developed an interest in travel and learning more about the business side of the spa industry. Her international experience in luxury operations over the next few years saw her head back to sea, managing the spa on the world’s largest privately owned Mega Yacht. From organizing Spa experiences in exotic locations such as the Maldives, to polar dips in Antarctica, no two days were the same. Amanda was then invited to open Canada’s first St Regis Hotel and Spa in Toronto, leading a team from pre opening stages to overseeing a full spa rebranding and renovation. After many years in operations Amanda was approached to join Book4time as their Senior customer success manager overseeing accounts such Disney, Langham, Hilton, Hyatt and One Spa World to name a few. She is currently enjoying having some work life balance with her family, and is excited to help grow and support the Canadian Spa industry through her work with Leading Spas of Canada.
Director: Susan Browne
Susan has been invested in the Canadian Spa industry for more than 15 years as publisher of Spa Inc. magazine and creator of the annual Canadian Spa and Wellness Awards. All under the umbrella of the company she founded, Dovetail Communications. For over 30 years Dovetail has provided business solutions for organizations with services ranging from contract publishing, advertising, sales, marketing, communication, design, and content creation. Working in a diverse range of industries that include retail, engineering, RVing, education, and of course the spa and wellness industry.
Personal growth and life-long learning has always been paramount for Susan who earned her Masters Degree in 2007 from York University while running her business. With a firm belief in a work life balance, Susan promotes health and wellness to her primarily female staff and extended family.
Susan is pleased to further her work with Leading Spas of Canada and give back to the industry by taking on a new role on the Board of Directors.
Director: Angela DoCouto
As the Director of Riverstone Spa, Angela leverages her skills in marketing, sales, and customer service to cultivate relationships and deliver exceptional client satisfaction. She is passionate about wellness and devoted to creating memorable experiences.
Prior to her role in the health, wellness and spa industry, Angela was the Director of Sales for all properties in the Sparrow Hotels group. She was responsible for creating & achieving sales goals and objectives, while increasing profitability through effective sales strategies, business planning and client relationships.
Angela graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a degree in Business Administration and achieved her diploma in Marketing from Red River College. She is an active member of her community, enjoys volunteering at a variety of charitable events, and spending time with her family, exploring all that Manitoba has to offer.
Director: Marion Le Gall
Marion Le Gall is the Business developer Manager for Spavaro, the most trusted Canadian supplier for Spas and Wellness, & Director of revenue and membership for the Leading Spa of Canada association.
As a tenacious leader, Marion has cultivated and grown many spas from the ground up to be what they are today – Guerlain Spa at Hotel X Toronto, Canada’s Best hotel Spa 2022 and Top New Spa in Canada 2021; Hotel Le Normandy in France, France’s Wellness Spa Winner for 2017; Forme Spa Albany, Top Shop Awards New Zealand 2015.
Her extensive professional background as a Director of Spa and Wellness for Palaces in France and London, Urban spas in New Zealand, and luxury cruise ships sailing around the globe solidified her proven, extensive knowledge in all things Spa, Wellness and Fitness. She further obtained a bilingual Masters in Business in 2019 to exemplify her commitment to building and to perfect her communication skills, proven her passion and dedication, and was nominated for the prestigious Black Diamond award in Europe and for Best Spa director in North America.
Marion enjoys travelling the world, spending quality time on a hike and ticking experiences off her never-ending bucket list!
Director: Colleen Nunes
Colleen Nunes is an internationally qualified Aesthetician, Holistic Therapist, and the Director of The L Spa & Wellness Centre in Grande Prairie, AB.
Colleen was born and raised in South Africa, where she obtained her CIDESCO International Diploma of Cosmetology and ITEC Diploma in Health & Skincare, including complementary therapy ITEC diplomas . She relocated to Grande Prairie, Canada, in 2008 where she has been the Spa Director of The L Spa and Wellness Centre for the past 15 years.
Colleen has trained extensively in holistic therapies ranging from Spa Treatments, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Hot Stone Massage, On-Site Massage. and Diet & Nutrition for Complementary Therapies. She is a North American School of Podology Master Pedicurist, and obtained her Oncology Esthetics Foundation Training through Oncology Training International.
She is very passionate about the Canadian spa industry and the supporting organizations including Leading Spas of Canada. Colleen believes the Quality Assurance Assessment program is fundamental in elevating the spa industry as a whole, ensuring consistent and exemplary service deliver by qualified professionals.
Director: Kerry Werner
Kerry’s career in wellness began as an Alberta RMT in 1998, practicing in a chiropractic clinic where she focused on MVA and TMJ treatments as well as offering regular Massage, Aromatherapy and Manual Lymphatic Drainage. In 2001 an opportunity arose in the Caribbean working on a private island resort, which Kerry had to explore. This introduction to the hospitality field was all encompassing and inspiring, leading her to work in luxury resort spas for the next 6 years in the British Virgin Islands and moving up through trainer and managerial roles. Moving back to Canada in 2007, Kerry assisted in the opening of a luxury day spa as the Assistant Director in Alberta. 2009 saw a return to massage therapy full time as Kerry missed the hands-on connection of working with guests. During the next few years her massage skills were rounded out with certifications in Reflexology, Cranial Sacral Therapy as well as becoming a yoga instructor and adjustor. In 2016, fate brought Kerry back to the Caribbean for a spa leadership role in St. Lucia, rekindling her passion for spa operations and team leadership. Returning to Canada in 2018, Kerry was in Spa Management roles working in British Columbia for 4 years. Now in Toronto, Kerry is thrilled to have been part of the Stillwater Spa re-opening team in June 2022. As Director of Spa at the Park Hyatt Toronto, it is Kerry’s passion to inspire both her team and guests and educate them on taking control of their wellness journey. Kerry is excited to be joining the Board of Directors of Leading Spas of Canada to advance and advocate for us as well as inspire all of the wonderful people who work in this rewarding industry.