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/golden-planners-website/images/DSC_1079-c40d9.jpg "Gala banquet at the National Gallery of Canada")
Derrick LeBlanc - Manager, Office & Finance
Derrick LeBlanc joined GPI in September 2000. As GPI's Manager, Office & Finance, Derrick is responsible for the accounting, record-keeping and financial management of not only GPI's operations but also GPI's clients' accounts. Derrick's responsibilities include preparing and processing invoices, credit card transactions, payroll, government remittances, verifying, recording and processing Accounts Payables, doing monthly bank reconciliations, monitoring E-commerce transactions, maintaining all accounting records up to date, producing financial statements and reports.In addition, Derrick ensures that the equipment, facilities and materials are taken care of to provide a fully-supportive working environment to the GPI team.
Annick Hector - Event Coordinator
Annick Hector Joined GPI in March 2022. As the Event coordinator she manages the planning aspects of our events such as exhibits, speaker and abstract management, logistics, food and beverage, audio-visual services, and various other tasks. She also coordinates our virtual events.
Before joining the GPI team Annick worked for the International Development Research Centre as the assistant to the Director of Democratic and Inclusive Governance. Prior to that she was the Event Coordinator for the Canadian Medical Protective Association, Tree Canada and the National Judicial Institute.
Annick holds a Bachelor of Arts and Communications from the University of Ottawa, a Graduate Certificate in Events Management and a Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Algonquin College. She also completed a Certificate in Virtual Event & Meeting Management from the Event Leadership Institute and is Bilingual.
Outside of the office, Annick enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Maria Librado - Registration Administrator
Maria Librado joined Golden Planners in September of 2018 as the Registration Administrator. In this role she coordinates the programming of on-line registration processes, receiving, verifying and processing registrations and payments, preparing registration reports, tracking attendance, verifying rooming lists, preparing name badges, Participants' Lists and all other registration preparations and on-site registration services. In addition, she provides membership services for our Association Management clients.
Maria’s interest for the event industry comes from the challenge of bringing an idea to life. She relishes the service aspect, of going above and beyond to meet clients requests. Her experience working in the hospitality industry for a hotel, event rental house and event décor have furthered her passion.
Maria is a University of Ottawa Graduate. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Second Language Teaching. She is fluently trilingual (English, French and Spanish).
Phil Ecclestone is a seasoned event management professional with over 35 years of experience helping organizations achieve their communications and business objectives through events. Phil has helped create events from multi-day nationally televised conventions with thousands of participants to small consultations with a few dozen people. His creative side comes out not only in the visuals of stage design but also in the development of unique solutions to client challenges.
At the beginning of his career, mentors advised him to always think about "what the front page of the Globe and Mail would look like the day following an event", advice he has taken to heart and permeates his project management approach. This attention to outcomes has been a hallmark of his work with Golden Planners Inc. and is reflected in the firms' reputation for excellence in event production.
His knowledge of managing events from concept to completion is also evidenced by clients' involvement of Phil in the development of new projects including the Issues of Substance Conferences and the National Conference on Ending Homelessness. He is author of the BOMA Canada BOMEX® Conference and Tradeshow Planning Manual. He acts as the company spokesperson and routinely responds to media inquiries seeking expert comment.
Following a career in the public service, including a stint as the Director of Tour for the Minister of Constitutional Affairs during the Charlottetown Round and subsequent national Referendum, Phil began working with GPI in 1993. In 1999 he was appointed the firm's first Vice-President. In 2013 he succeeded Hélène Lamadeleine as the President of GPI and now leads the GPI team in the planning and execution of events for clients across Canada.
Phil has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and was the Chair of the Ottawa Community of the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners. He also served a two-year term as Vice-President, Partnerships of CanSPEP. Phil's passions outside of the office include curling in the winter and golf in the summer.