Chris Lorway is the President and CEO of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity effective April 10th, 2023. Chris brings senior leadership experience across a broad range of artistic disciplines in both Canadian and international contexts. Well-positioned to strengthen Banff Centre’s position as Canada’s creative leader in arts, leadership, and convening, Chris has a proven record as a global influencer in arts and culture.
Chris is a Canadian citizen, born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and comes to Banff Centre from his recent position as both Executive and Artistic Director at Stanford Live in California. His artistic and community programs drew from the breadth and depth of Stanford University to connect performances to significant issues, ideas, and discoveries of our time, through seasons featuring over 200 performances and events across four venues.
With a dedicated history in the arts world that began with the Lincoln Centre Festival Team, Chris also brings a marketing lens to his role as President and CEO. Prior to Stanford Live, he was Director of Programming and Marketing at The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, where his focus was on developing a cohesive brand identity for the institution.
Chris has hands-on experience in live theatre and music production through his previous role as the Artistic Director of the Luminato Festival, where he commissioned or co-commissioned nearly 50 new works from Canadian and International artists.
As a former consultant in the United States with AMS Planning and Research and AEA Consulting, Chris gained detailed insight into the governance and operations of major cultural organizations, including Carnegie Hall, New York City Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the West Kowloon Cultural District and San Francisco Opera.
Michael Code was appointed Vice President, Operations in April 2016. As Vice President, Operations he oversees for Banff Centre the Conferences, Hospitality, Program Operations and Campus Redevelopment Projects. Michael has held a variety of positions at Banff Centre at various periods of time since 1995 including Director of Program Operations, Executive Director of Conferences and Hospitality, and Director of Operations for Leadership Development. Michael started with Banff Centre as a Program Coordinator in the Leadership Development area.
Michael brings a wide range and depth of business and project experience to his work with Banff Centre. Prior to working at Banff Centre, Michael owned and operated several hospitality enterprises and other business ventures for almost 20 years. During his career, Michael has also held senior level roles at The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and as the Director of Operations and Strategic Development for a Banff developer specializing in inspiring properties and hospitality operations.
Michael has spent the majority of the past 43 years, living, working and volunteering in the Bow Valley. He has a deep appreciation for our mountain community and Banff National Park. In his free time, Michael enjoys being outdoors, hiking, and exploring our connections with nature.
Valerie Kapay was appointed as Vice President, Human Resources in April, 2016. She has extensive experience in human resource management and labour relations. She brings great spirit, passion, and energy to the culture at Banff Centre and as a member of the Executive Team, provides leadership on the design and implementation of human resource strategies and programs relating to: workforce planning, recruitment and retention, compensation and rewards, pay and benefits administration, human resource management information systems, job design and evaluation, learning and development, performance management, career and succession planning, staff housing, labour relations, conflict and dispute resolution, organization design, change management, policy development, and health and safety workplace practices. She is the chief negotiator for Banff Centre in bargaining the collective agreement with CUPE 4318.
Prior to the Banff Centre, Mrs. Kapay worked with the Government of Saskatchewan in varying capacities in human resource management, participating in the design, delivery and implementation of three point rating classification systems; providing strategic organizational development and support to an assigned portfolio which encompassed all provincial young offender facilities in the province of Saskatchewan; and participating as a member of a bumping/redeployment team during a significant government budget downsizing exercise.
Mrs. Kapay has a Bachelor of Administration from the University of Regina and lives in Banff with her husband Clarence and her two children, where the passion for arts is alive as they spend time advancing Clarence’s exceptional painting talents and his solid reputation as a Canadian First Nations painter.
Mark is an experienced arts administrator and leader at Banff Centre with over 20 years’ experience in the arts, culture and not for profit sectors. He currently leads the program planning process at Banff Centre, including the performing arts (music, dance, opera, and theatre), Indigenous arts, and Indigenous leadership, and with direct oversight of the visual arts residencies, Walter Phillips Gallery, literary arts, and cultural leadership areas.
Mark regularly collaborates with leading artists, artistic directors, and curators from around the world, along with administrators, multi-disciplinary production teams, architects, national arts and culture partners, provincial and federal government agencies, donors, and local audiences and community members. Mark has led several change management processes, has overseen significant capital projects, and has been a negotiator on several collective agreement bargaining processes.
He has served on numerous national arts juries and committees, has established and stewarded many national and international partnerships, and has attended leading multi-disciplinary arts festivals across North America, in Europe, and in Africa.