About • Advisory Board

Kathy Arney has spent her career growing organizational capacity and improving results and has a passion for enabling people to reach their full potential.

Through her career Kathy developed an expertise in fund development, capacity-building, strategy and operations. Her background in executive education, higher education and the arts are built on a solid business and management foundation.

Kathy had a lengthy tenure at Queen's University in Kingston in both executive education and advancement, most recently as Executive Director of Advancement Operations and CFO (Advancement) during a $262 Million capital campaign. Kathy helped initiate the development office at the new UBC Okanagan campus then moved to Carleton University where she was Director of Faculty Development and Major Gifts in a leadership role for a comprehensive campaign. From there she moved to Banff, Alberta as Chief Development Officer at The Banff Centre developing a deeper understanding and expertise in fundraising for the arts. She obtained her ARCT (Piano Performance) in 1985, Commerce degree from Queen's in 1989 and her Chartered Accountant designation in 1991.

Kathy has consulted in the hospital sector, municipal fundraising, universities and arts organizations on advancement restructuring, strategic and operational planning and review, and campaigns. She has presented at regional, national and international conferences on a variety of topics including operations and customer service, budgeting and funding models.

Graham brings over a decade of experience as an entrepreneurial administrator and international education professional to Meetings that Matter to advise on areas in global development and technical and vocational education and training.

Graham had the privilege of living in Kenya as a post-graduate intern in 2007 and has been involved in international business development ever since. He has primarily worked in British Columbia's public college system leading customized programs, consulting assignments and offshore partnerships. His project management experience spans the globe where he has worked with clients in sectors including construction, oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, hospitality and tourism, healthcare, and educational leadership. He has worked with aid agencies, development banks, governments, industry, foundations and educational institutions as a means of contributing to sustainable economic development in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Honoured to be part of teams awarded Silver for Social Development by the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics, as well as Gold for Excellence in Internationalization by Colleges and Institutes Canada, Graham believes in the importance of building outstanding teams. Recognized as an effective communicator and collaborative leader, he is thrilled to be contributing to Meetings that Matter — an energetic organization that aligns with his core values, routinely delivering on the "wow factor".

He holds a Diploma in Music (Jazz Performance – drums), a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), and is completing a Masters in International Business Management. Most importantly, Graham loves spending time outdoors with his wife and young son and their Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Angela Wong is an artist, designer and entrepreneur from Edmonton, Alberta.

Wong started her career at the luxury hotel, the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. After this, her childhood talents for visual art and design led her to entrepreneurship, where she successfully grew her organization in to the parent company, AW Design Group, encompassing three distinctive brands. In 2016, Wong launched Alberta's first POKE fish bowl restaurant, SPLASH Poke, which now serves in five locations.

In 2015, Angela Wong joined the Meetings That Matter group in an advisory capacity, and later became the author of the MTM brand. Wong was an integral part in creating the MTM branding design, mission, vision, and values.

Angela Wong has served for a broad range of businesses and charities in the roles of designer, marketing director, and event producer. In 2016, Wong created the greeting card campaign, "Cards with Purpose", which helps to support philanthropic causes, including the "Free2BME" program 10th Anniversary Gala — a charity that she holds close to her heart. Later that year, Wong was nominated for the Canada's Most Powerful Women award under the age of thirty.

Angela Wong resides in Edmonton, Canada where she leads a diverse team of talented people. In her spare time, you can find Wong engaged with the community, traveling, painting, or spending time envisioning future projects.

Martin von Neudegg is currently the Executive Director, International of Micato Safaris which is based in New York City and Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to joining Micato Safaris Martin was, from 1986-2013, the Director, Chief Marketing Officer and General Counsel of Canadian Mountain Holidays Inc. (CMH) the world's first and largest Heli-Skiing company in the world with 12 large Heli-Skiing tenures and 8 remote mountain luxury lodges.

Martin has also been the General Manager of Storm Mountain Lodge, the oldest and most historic mountain lodge in Canada's Banff National Park, having been built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1922.

Martin also had a private law practice with a primary focus on Criminal Defence and Corporate and Commercial matters.

He is currently the President of MVN Adventure Counsel Inc., an International Tourism Consultancy providing advice in matters of sales, marketing, customer service, legal issues and management structure.

Martin is a passionate mountain person with many days each year spent on skis or hiking the remote trails of Canada's parks.

He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Calgary and a Law Degree (LL.B.) from the University of Alberta.

Audrey de Baghy has relished an extensive and diverse career in the luxury hotel and hospitality business. Born in New York, de Baghy grew up in France and was later awarded a gold medal as a downhill ski racer on the French Nationalist team. In the 1970s, de Baghy was persuaded by the Banff Springs Hotel's legendary General Manager, Ivor Petrak, to pursue a career in business development — specializing in the Western Canadian emerging ski market — a crucial time for The Banff Springs Hotel, which had recently begun winter operations.

Over the span of 31 years, Audrey de Baghy played an important role in establishing Banff as a world-class ski destination. de Baghy held various management positions in public relations, sales and marketing. In the 1980s, she took a four-year hiatus to live in Los Angeles before returning to Banff to raise her two children.

Ted Kissane, the General Manager and Regional Vice President of The Banff Springs Hotel from 1991 until 2005 once said: "Audrey has an uncanny ability to build loyalty with all of the high-end customers in a highly competitive environment". de Baghy's list of accomplishments and accolades is extensive and far-reaching. Her powerful leadership and mentorship capabilities have shaped the lives of dozens of talented professionals — many of which have gone on to enjoy elaborate careers. de Baghy would often refer to her most talented pupils as 'her little protégés!'

An avid opera enthusiast and classical music aficionado, you will find de Baghy enjoying a show at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity or attending a Puccini opera. She is a faithful gardener, and enjoys entertaining, crochet and time in nature.

In 2006, de Baghy returned to France as director of sales at The Fairmont Monte Carlo in Monaco. In retirement, de Baghy resides in the south of France and southern Australia where she devotes time to her spouse, two children, and five grandchildren.

Pat resides in Oakville, Ontario where she moved following a long successful corporate career in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to moving to Ontario Pat was most recently Vice President, Administrative Services for a large Calgary based multi-national corporation where she was responsible for the Corporate Secretarial, Aviation and Administration areas. In an advisory capacity Pat contributes her strong governance, compliance and administrative knowledge. Other experience includes over twenty years in the banking industry where her last position was Manager of Credit and Compliance with the Corporate & Investment Banking Group of a major Canadian bank.

Born in the UK, Pat emigrated to Canada in 1979. She attended the University of Calgary where she studied Math, Economics, English and Accounting. In addition Pat successfully completed numerous continuing education courses including the Canadian Securities Partners Directors & Senior Officers Program and the Ivey Business School, Strategic Leadership Development Program.

Pat, along with her husband Chris, have been keeping busy in their retirement. They both have a passion for travelling, particularly to their home country where they have a special interest touring the numerous English Heritage and National Trust historic sites. Their most important activity, however, is spending time in Ontario with their first grandchild Violet.

American pianist Alexandria Le has been acclaimed as a "passionate and involved player…who is so adept at painting tonal pictures" (New York Concert Review) and as "a warm, animated, hyper-talented young pianist whose greatest asset is her ability to communicate" (Boston Musical Intelligencer). The broad scope of her work has brought her to perform in the world's most prestigious venues, like Carnegie Hall, to the farthest-reaching places where music is needed most, like the jails of Riker's Island.

In her multi-faceted career, she is driven to cultivate the arts in unique and interesting ways by engaging all audiences: She is Artistic Director and Founder of the Las Vegas Wine and Music Festival (which pairs wine to classical music in untraditional spaces) and co-directs the Las Vegas Academy Piano Institute (an annual three-day institute providing engaging workshops, clinics, master classes, and performances for their 80 piano majors). A native of Las Vegas, she garnered sixteen first-prize awards, performed live broadcast performances over KNPR-Las Vegas, and performed with all of Las Vegas' regional orchestras — all before graduating high school.

After winning the prestigious Pro Musicis International Award in 2011 and joining a distinguished roster of artists, she debuted as soloist in Carnegie Hall to glowing reviews. Soon afterward, Ms. Le joined as a pianist in Carnegie Hall's resident ensemble, the highly prolific Ensemble ACJW (a 20-member ensemble in partnership with the Juilliard School, the Weill Institute, and the New York Department of Education). She has been seen performing regularly in New York City venues like Carnegie Hall, Trinity Wall Street, (le) Poisson Rouge, Subculture NYC, and Spectrum.

A winner of the 2012 Emerson String Quartet's Ackerman Chamber Music Competition, she is a sought-after collaborator and has enjoyed performing an extensive range of work with members of the world's leading ensembles and acclaimed instrumental soloists. Additionally, she has held exclusive collaborative piano positions at the Banff Centre of the Arts in Canada.

Ms. Le is equally engaged as an educator and advocate of arts in our society through community outreach. Over a span of two years, she dedicated 200 hours of classroom music instruction at an inner-city elementary school in Brooklyn and presented over 60 outreach performances in community venues around New York City as part of Ensemble ACJW. She has also had further outreach sponsorship through Pro Musicis and D.A.R.E. As part of the Las Vegas Wine and Music Festival, she has established the Music JuiceBox Series for educational outreach.

After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, Ms. Le went on to pursue a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University. She credits her mentors and teachers Gilbert Kalish, Christina Dahl, Douglas Humpherys, Roger Bushell, her mother Michelle Le, and Erna Gulabyan. Currently, she decompresses from the urban landscape of Las Vegas and New York in Victoria with her husband, jazz bassist Ross Macdonald.

In March 2015, Ms. Le became a Yamaha Artist.