As president of Canadian-based tartanbond, Deirdre has been entrenched in the integrated communications business for more than 20 years. What began as a west-coast based boutique PR agency called Tartan in 2001, with a handful of iconic Canadian experiences quickly expanded internationally with a range of luxury eco resorts across Central and South America. This was also the beginning of Deirdre’s passion for sustainable tourism, and she is a founding member of the Global Ecotourism Network and a co-founder of the IMPACT Sustainable Travel and Tourism conference held annually in Victoria, BC. IMPACT’s goal is to host the important dialogue around tourism’s legacy across Canada. In 2017, Tartan merged with the tigerbond, a UK based PR agency with over 38 years of experience and 12 offices. This allowed Deirdre to expand her team’s digital expertise and build a substantial client base across Canada. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary, and associates in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal and New York, today tartanbond counts the Jordan Tourism Board, Destination Canada and Indigenous Tourism Canada along with many outstanding sustainable tourism experiences, retail, technology and real estate developers among its clients. In 2019 Deirdre was awarded Destination Greater Victoria’s Miracle Award in recognition of her work in tourism. Deirdre has also been named a Public Relations practitioner of the year, a YW/YMCA woman of distinction for her work in the community, and is a sought-after presenter on sustainable tourism, globally.
