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.
Vice President: 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.
Vice President & Treasurer: Amanda O'Shea
Amanda began her career as a CIDESCO-trained esthetician in Ireland. After providing treatments on luxury cruises, she developed an interest in travel and gained a deeper understanding of the business side of the spa industry. Her international experience in luxury operations led her back to the seas, where she managed the world’s largest private mega yacht. From organizing spa experiences in exotic locations like the Maldives to polar dives in Antarctica, no journey was ever the same.
Amanda was later invited to open the first St. Regis Hotel and Spa in Toronto, where she led a team from the pre-opening stages through to the supervision of a rebranding and a full spa renovation. After many years in operations, Amanda joined Book4Time as a Senior Client Success Manager, overseeing accounts such as Disney, Langham, Hilton, Hyatt, and One Spa World, to name a few. She now enjoys a work-life balance with her family and is thrilled to contribute to the growth and support of the Canadian spa industry through her work with Leading Spas of Canada.
Vice President: 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.
Member: Marion Le Gall
Marion Le Gall is a lead professor in spa management at Humber College, Spa consultants specialized in Operations and retail, and board member for the Leading Spas of Canada association. Marion is a resilient leader who has made a remarkable impact on the development of renowned spas, including the Guerlain Spa Toronto, which was awarded Canada’s Best Hotel Spa in 2022. With her international experience, she has successfully managed prestigious establishments, from luxury hotels in France and London to urban spas in New Zealand, as well as luxury cruise spas around the world.
Her expertise in wellness, spa, and fitness is matched by a deep passion for communication, earning her prestigious distinctions such as a nomination for the Black Diamond Award in Europe and the title of Best Spa Director in North America. Marion is driven by genuine passion for her work, finding immense satisfaction every day in doing what she truly loves. When she’s not dedicated to her professional projects, she is pursuing her doctorate, enjoys hiking, and embraces every opportunity to explore new experiences worldwide, continually seeking both personal and professional growth.
Member: 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.
Member: 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.
Member: Chris Ryall
Chris has been an enthusiastic advocate for spa and wellness for more than 30 years while visiting hundreds of spas in more than 90 countries on six continents. Chris began his career in television after graduating from a three-year Radio/TV broadcasting program at Centennial College. Following his TV career Chris worked for foreign tourism boards before running his own tourism marketing/PR company with client list of tourism boards (foreign and in Canada), tour companies and resort clients from around the world.
Following his desire to learn more about the spa industry Chris enrolled in a one-year in-class Spa & Wellness Operations Management program at Algonquin College in Ottawa and graduated with honours. Chris has written about spa and wellness for many print and online publications both in Canada and the U.S. including a regular contributor to Spa Inc., Canada’s spa industry publication. Chris has previously sat on the judge’s panel for the Asia Spa Awards and SpaFinder 360 Wellness Travel Awards and has sat on the judging panel for the Canadian Spa & Wellness Awards since its inception in 2015. Chris is a proponent for making spas and wellness more inclusive for all genders, generations, ethnic backgrounds, and income levels while focusing on mental and physical health benefits.
Member: Michelle Palmer
Michelle Palmer is a certified Esthetics and Makeup professional, with over 25 years of experience in the beauty, personal care, and wellness industries. Michelle began her career as a theatre makeup artist and transitioned to esthetics shortly after. Over decades, Michelle has worked in many different areas of the industry: from waxing boutiques, to hotel spas, to beauty supply companies, to owning her own spa for a decade. Michelle is currently the Spa Manager at The Spa Intercontinental Toronto Centre where she passionately engages in all aspects of managing the spa and leisure departments and enthusiastically contributes ideas to foster business growth built on a foundation of a happy, engaged, passionate spa team and clear and concise policies and procedures.
Michelle is passionate about creating and curating spa teams with a focus on employee equity, fair wages, the elimination of exploitation in the beauty industry, and encouraging employee wellness. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys kayaking, spending time with her family, cooking, and attending live theatre and music performances.