Who is Horizon?	Inspiration + Passion + Expertise = Horizon & Co.
You can't build a great travel company without a team of exceptional people. At Horizon, we've been nurturing extraordinary talent for over 43 years, and in the process we've figured out a few things about how to attract and retain exceptional people: Inspire your staff with a compelling vision of how life can be lived and how a company can be run. The Horizon core values of Integrity, Innovation, Sophistication and Service are a constant touchstone for how we manage the business on a day-to-day basis. Give your staff the freedom to take calculated risks and exercise authority. We believe in aligning responsibility with accountability and giving authority to the people on the ground, since they are generally in the best position to make the most intelligent decisions on behalf of our travellers. Hire people who are passionate about travel and who can think of no greater joy than making someone happy. We are a service-obsessed group of travellers who love nothing better than to head out on the road, discover new experiences, and figure out creative ways to share these experiences with our travellers.  Nurture creativity across every function within the company. We believe that the only way to maintain our position in the marketplace is to constantly innovate the business, from the design of our brochures to the choice of wine on day three in Tuscany (although we draw the line at creative accounting!).  Have some fun while you're at it. Although attention to detail and organizational rigour is a serious business, the execution of the trip doesn't have to be, especially when our travellers are on vacation. We believe in creating the space in peoples' lives to relax, have a few laughs and make some new friends in an atmosphere of congenial comaraderie. If this sounds like the kind of place where you want to work, please email your C.V. and a covering letter to guides@horizon-co.com.
Who Are the Owners?	Norman Howe & Andrew White
The owners of Horizon are working partners rather than passive investors, focused on building on the exceptional legacy of Horizon to ensure that it maintains its position as one of the best travel companies around. Norman is an Oxford-educated ex-lawyer who left the rat race to spend a decade running almost every division within Butterfield & Robinson, one of the world’s great luxury travel companies, before becoming an owner of Horizon.  Andrew previously ran the international division of Molson Canadian, owned one of Canada's oldest outdoor adventure companies, ran Destination Arctic (an arctic DMC company), and was most recently a senior account director at Maritz Canada Inc, before becoming an owner of Horizon. While they come from diverse backgrounds, they are united by a shared passion for travel and a common vision for building a great travel company.
	Name: Norman Howe Role: Owner & Creative Spirit Expertise: Anything that requires a discerning palate or involves Egyptian cotton and 300- thread count sheets Previous Life: Corporate lawyer, almost-academic, and senior executive at Butterfield & Robinson. Personal Passion: Collecting Michelin stars in Europe, photographing wildlife in Africa, and wrestling with my children at home.  Favourite Food: Putting myself "O makase" (in the hands of the chef) at any good Japanese restaurant.  Favourite Trip: Bhutan – "The shades of green defy the imagination, the mountain vistas are staggering, and the people are simply some of the most spiritual on earth." Email: norm@horizon-co.com
	Name: Andrew White Role: Owner & Sales Savant Expertise: Anything to do with snow, cold or canoeing... Previous Life: From British Pub owner...to International Brewery Executive...to Outdoor Adventure Company co-owner...to a Marketing Agency...to Corporate Sales Director...to Horizon & Co.....all I can say is...home at last!! Personal Passion: Spending time in the wilderness and reading newspapers  Favourite Food: Anything BBQ'ed (well...almost anything) and ripe, strong cheese (instead of desert) washed down with a Penfolds Bin 389 Chiraz Favourite Trip: The Yukon Great River Journey - The Canadian Arctic - it's the world's last great wilderness brimming with truly authentic people, culture and history. The Arctic also has a "four- season" rugged beauty beyond words.  Email: andrew@horizon-co.com

Who Are the Staff?	Our Greatest Asset
Our staff is our greatest asset. We have culled them from the four corners of the world, and between them they possess a range of experience and a depth of knowledge that is staggering. Some have been with the company almost from the beginning, acting as the wise elders of the business, repositories of knowledge and company lore, while others are new this year, bringing a fresh perspective, cutting edge ideas and unbridled enthusiasm. All of the staff live for travel, everyone has a favourite trip, and the jockeying for the right to travel makes the political party nomination process look amateur by comparison. Feel free to call or email any of them to chat about Horizon.
	Name: Erika Maaskant Role: Operations Coordinator, Private trips Expertise: If an undergrad counts for expertise, then anything related to socio/cultural anthropology. Previous life: Long time waitress…never to return, and explorer (of previously explored territories) Personal passion: Africa – my first trip/love, I’m forever fascinated by it. To me it’s the most diverse and extreme place in the world (but I’m open to be proven wrong). Favourite food: Nicoise salad, fresh pesto, Ethiopian (that awesome combo platter on injera), DoenJang Chigae, Green curry. Favourite trip: Ouagadougou to Timbuktu by local transport and river boat. A difficult but rewarding journey. Email: erika@horizon-co.com
	Name: Jaime Dobbs Role: Graphic Designer Extraordinaire Expertise: Anything to do with aesthetics... Previous Life: Photographer of all sorts Personal Passions: Photography (there's nothing like knowing you just got your shot), knitting - cozied up under a blanket knitting my latest project and sipping on a hot cup of tea.  Favourite Food: Brazilian barbecue with fresh salsa and an icy caipirinha, chocolate, chocolate...and more chocolate. Favourite Trip: Chile - I haven't been yet...but I can't wait to explore the wild and diverse landscapes. I want to star gaze in the Atacama Desert, sample fine wines in the fertile Central Valley, read Pablo Neruda’s poetry in Valparaiso, and cruise through the icy landscape of the Chilean Fjords. Email: jaime@horizon-co.com
	Name: Lynne Pettit Role: Senior Travel Designer, Classic Series Expertise: Anything to do with art, culture, literature... Previous life: Diplomatic debutante at British Consul General's soirees. Personal passion: Collecting late nineteenth and early twentieth century literature, engaging in the social rituals of the English "season", travelling with my daughter. Favourite food: Wild Salmon with shiitake mushrooms or Sacher Torte  Favourite trip: Oberammergau- Zurich-Munich - From the staggering glacier panoramas to the medieval villages, this journey is inspired by the diversity and richness of Swiss culture and is topped off in Bavaria with the dramatic re-enactment of the Passion Play, put on by the locals every decade since 1634. Email: lynne@horizon-co.com
	Name: Maija Palkeinen  Role: Senior Travel Designer & Villa Specialist Expertise: Villas in France & Italy Previous Life: Lived in Burgundy, ran sales at HomesAway, became a Conde Nast villa rental specialist, imaginary owner of a villa in Provence, nanny to over 10 kids. Personal Passions: Finding the best markets in Europe, photography, archery, documentary film, Westin Heavenly Beds, driving in a fantastic car anywhere, good wine, good food and good company!  Favourite Food: Foie Gras in the Dordogne, Spaghetti Vongole in the Cinque Terre, a Guinness in Ireland (it is a meal after all) and a great curry in London. Favourite Trip: Championship Series: French Open - here is hoping to an exciting rematch in the final for Federer and Nadal - two of the most exciting players in recent history. In addition, a week in the City of Lights... Paris in the Spring!  Email: maija@horizon-co.com
	Name: Martha Pierce Role: Operations and Design, Private Trips Expertise: International political economics and economic history, Let’s talk Marx, Malthus and/ or the Kuznet’s Curve. Previous Life: Competitive Rower/Keen Student Personal Passion: as a bonafide adrenaline junkie, anything to do with running, biking, hiking (I would do the Grouse Grind everyday if I could), or spinning (my new found love) followed by a big cup of coffee, The Food Network and a nap (not necessarily in that order) Favourite Food: Fresh Ontario tomatoes, raspberries from my Grandma’s garden and Butter Chicken Favourite Trip: Iceland – standing at the edge (literally) of Dettifoss- the turbulent black waterfall, I began to realize how diverse the world is…and how paranoid Canada is with their safety waivers. Email: martha@horizon-co.com
	Name: Melissa Joseph Role: Sales & Client Care Expertise: Anything to do with Italy Previous Life: Academic & literature nut turned sales and administrative guru at B&R Personal Passion: Comedy performance & writing, feline photography, and cheese Favourite Food: apperativo - fresh Tuscan bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, primo - gnocchi al ragu, and dessert (my favourite part!) - anguria (watermelon) & baci gelato Favourite Trip: Epicurean Journey - Tuscany If it was good enough for Dante, it's good enough for me. Email: melissa@horizon-co.com
	Name: Steve Wilson Role: Senior Travel Designer & Latin America Specialist Expertise: Anything that involves speaking Spanish Previous Life: Building renovations, sports retail, investment banking before finally seeing the light - to travel! Personal Passion: Anything Latino. The food, music, culture, people and of course, the place. Favourite Food: Ceviche, or raw seafood marinated in lime juice, one of the most memorable and delicious dishes from Peru and Ecuador.  Favourite Trip:  Galapagos...one of the world's most incredible wildlife destinations where exploring the islands and snorkelling with endemic species in this remote archipelago really does leave you with a sense of wonderment and privilege. Email: steve@horizon-co.com