SANDY REIMER
Founder and Chairman
Toronto, Ontario
sandy@worldheritageproject.org

As Founder and Chairman of the World Heritage Project, Sandy Reimer brings experience as a photographer, writer and social entrepreneur. A professionally trained writer and photographer, Sandy began her academic career studying English Literature at the University of Manitoba, as well as creative writing under the tutelage of Pulitzer Prize winning author Carol Shields.

Sandy earned her literary degree from the University of Toronto, where she was the recipient of the Award for Highest Distinction in English Literature as well as the Graduation Book Prize for academic excellence.

Upon completion of her degree, Sandy served as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Lifestyles NA Beverage Corporation, where she developed strategic marketing objectives and played a pivotal role in bringing the company public. She then served as the Vice-President of Commtrac Realty Inc, a Canadian commercial real estate company where she directed sales and strategy of large industrial transactions.

While travelling for business, Sandy’s passion for photography and film broadened. As a result, she returned to school to study photography at Sheridan College before travelling around the globe to build her portfolio. Sandy has traveled the globe extensively photographing in over 30 countries including Myanmar, Thailand, India, China, Africa, and most of Europe.

Sandy is a graduate of The Canadian Film Centre, Canada’s most prestigious film institute, created by Academy-Award-winning director Norman Jewison. She has produced several short films, including the award-winning Silent War, which won Canada’s citation award at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. It was also shown at Sundance Film Festival and nominated for a Genie Award (the equivalent of a Canadian Academy Award).

Sandy has a long history of philanthropy worldwide and has underwritten educational programs for young women escaping life on the streets in Cambodia, purchased land for orphanages in Myanmar, supported the acquisition of new fishing boats for the Tsunami victims in India and participated in sustainable development programs for villages in Africa. She has also supported rehabilitation programs for underprivileged youth in North America in addition to assisting environmental programs in several countries.

For this reason, the most important aspect of the World Heritage Project is Sandy’s philanthropic vision. Sandy is passionately committed to raising awareness of the natural and cultural heritages which exist on our planet and, in so doing, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of one another. To this end, she has created the World Heritage Project to support sustainable, educational, environmental and social projects.

MALCOLM ARMSTRONG
Project Director
Toronto, Ontario
malcolm@worldheritageproject.org

Malcolm Armstrong has recently completed his PhD in the area of epistemology in Bangalore, India. Before beginning his academic career with a liberal arts degree at the University of Waterloo, Malcolm served as an infantryman in the Canadian Armed Forces. Later he made his first trip to India to help serve in a Himalayan village for a year. After attaining his undergraduate degree he spent a year travelling via motorcycle across North America as well as working on a tall-ship while sailing through the Caribbean before making his way to the Amazon.

Upon completion of his photographic journey, he then completed his first MA degree in Charlotte, N.C. before heading to South Africa to play as a member of a touring soccer team. While there, Malcolm became aware of the significance of learning from other cultures and how important cause-driven philanthropy can be.

With this in mind, Malcolm returned to Canada to continue his studies in Philosophy and World Religions. He obtained a second Master’s degree at the University of Toronto while spending his summers interning as a research assistant with an international organization headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

For the past four years, Malcolm has spent his time living half the year in India while working on his dissertation and the other half working for If Films in Toronto as a research coordinator. While in India doing research he has travelled extensively throughout the country and has had the privilege of pursuing his passion for photography and engaging with diverse people and groups. He brings to his role as Project Director his strong administrative skills, cultural sensitivity, and experience living abroad.

VIRGINIA KUYPERS
Director of Marketing and Communications
Toronto, Ontario
virginia@worldheritageproject.org

Virginia Kuypers brings to WHP 25 years of experience in marketing services, products and causes for corporations and non-profit organizations.

Virginia was born in the Philippines and has lived in Canada, Hong Kong, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, and England. With this global perspective, she has a deep understanding of social and political trends worldwide and how they impact marketing.  Her travels in Europe, North America, and Asia have developed her ability to build rapport and relationships in conducting business within culturally diverse environments.

Virginia graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in Visual Communications. She has worked as a graphic designer, copywriter, and account executive at several advertising agencies, and as a public relations officer at the 5-star Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel.  In the non-profit sector, her strengths have been in raising awareness and raising funds as Director of Development of the St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn private school, as General Manager of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, and as Executive Director of the Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute.

Combining her education and experience in visual art, classical music, innovative education, creative marketing and event management, Virginia brings energy, enthusiasm, purpose and passion to every project she undertakes -- whether it’s marketing a private school or chamber music concerts, promoting a 5-star hotel, organizing a car rally traversing the entire Philippine archipelago or raising funds through dragon boat festivals.  An avid lifelong learner, Virginia speaks French, Dutch, and German and started cello lessons in April 2005.

An active volunteer in her community, Virginia is a member of the Board of Directors of the French Chamber of Commerce in Toronto, a member of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Toronto, the Rotary Club of Oakville-Trafalgar, Oakville Heritage Trust, and Oakville Sports Hall of Fame.

SUE HOSTETLER
Executive Editor
New York, U.S.A.
sue@worldheritageproject.org

Sue Hostetler has worked in the photography world for 15 years as an author and editor of illustrated books and prior to that, as a photojournalist.

Ms. Hostetler just completed her second book as author and editor, of “Hip Hollywood Homes”, published by Random House.  The book profiles 20 of the most influential style makers and trendsetters in Los Angeles that live in architecturally significant and historically important homes. Courteney Cox Arquette wrote the introduction and the Architectural Digest photographer Peter Valli shot the images.

In 2002 Ms. Hostetler published a book of photographs titled “Oceans”, with Rizzoli.  The book included 80 of the most celebrated contemporary photographers: Minor White, Harry Callahan, Brett Weston, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andreas Gursky and William Wegman to name just a few.  Robert Redford wrote the introduction; Jean-Michel Cousteau wrote the foreword; and the New York Times and Vanity Fair photo critic Vicki Goldberg contributed an essay about the photographs.

She has photo edited many books, including: “American Beauties” (Melcher Media, 2005); “The Lucky (Magazine) Shopping Manual”, (Gotham Books, 2004); “100 Years of Harley-Davidson”, (Bulfinch, 2002); and “Fifty Years of TV Guide”, (Crown, 2002).

From 1990-2000, Ms. Hostetler was a social documentary photographer, whose clients included The Kellogg Foundation, AmeriCares, British Airways and Tommy Hilfiger.  She received a BA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and did graduate studies in photography at the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois. From 1999-2001, she served as a trustee for the Ansel Adams Friends of Photography Museum in San Francisco and is now a trustee of the International Center of Photography in New York. She lives in New York City.

SHOBA SUBRAMANYAM
Special Projects Director
Manama, Bahrain
shoba@worldheritageproject.org

Shoba Subramanyam graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arts majoring in English Literature before starting her career in marketing with Singapore Airlines. While managing Singapore Airline’s priority passenger service for South India, she oversaw dealings with all members of First and Business. Her responsibilities included the creation and execution of programs to satisfy the elite clientele. She introduced many programs and exclusive events to ensure their allegiance to SIA and capture their brand loyalty.

During her time at SIA, Shoba organized two key events every year for the SIA clients and agents – usually a launch of a new aircraft or a function projecting SIA’s updated features. When SIA celebrated its 40th anniversary as a leading airline, Shoba headed the organizing committee. For her efforts and dedication she received an award for Outstanding Service on Ground in 1990.

In 1992 she moved to Bahrain to join the prestigious travel agency of the Gray Mackenzie group. In 2000, she won the Award for Innovation as a result of her dealings with companies such as Coca Cola and numerous corporate banks.
 
For the past four years Shoba has served as the Marketing and Events Coordinator at the American Mission Hospital in Bahrain where she has developed numerous Health Awareness campaigns. One of her most significant events has been the yearly charity golf tournament held at His Highness’ King Hamad’s golf course. This event generates very significant money which is designated for hospital expansion and to promote community village projects for the poor. Shoba’s keen ability in marketing and events coordination makes her a key person to further the vision of WHP.

STÉPHANIE CHAPELLE
Media Projects Director
Toronto, Ontario

Born in Canada, raised in France and Japan, Stéphanie Chapelle studied Economics and Finance at University of Paris IX Dauphine. She furthered her education and got her Master in Business and Administration with honours in Louisiana, moved back to Europe, and started her career in banking ascending to Assistant Vice President five years later. In 2002, she decided to finally combine her love of finance with her passion for movies and made the leap to film. She moved to Canada and attended the Vancouver Film School, production/post managed and was French versioning coordinator on the one-hour documentary Lord of the Brush.

In the last three years, she has produced several shorts among which Pluri’Elles, a short documentary commissioned by Radio Canada British Columbia and the NFB affiliated Parole Citoyenne (Citizenshift).  She also has gathered as much experience as possible working in different capacities in the industry. In 2005, Stéphanie graduates from the Canadian Film Centre’s Producer’s lab and goes on to produce Spoonfed and Face Machine, two of the 2006 Canadian Film Centre NBC Universal shorts. In addition to working at the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Stéphanie is currently a participant of the NSI Feature First Program with the Science-Fiction Thriller Level 16. Through her company Chap-Elle Productions Inc., Stéphanie has several projects in development among which the psychological feature thriller 1134, the science fiction TV series Face Machine and the documentary Déclinez-moi ma langue.

PRASHANT YADAV
Project Manager for India
New Delhi, India
prashant@worldheritageproject.org

Prashant brings a wealth of experience from various hospitality related fields to his role as the Project Manager for WHP’s inaugural project in India.   A professionally trained hotelier, Prashant started his career with the Delhi Hyatt Regency’s Banquets Division.  His expertise, combined with his helpful and charming personality, was outstanding and led to his promotion to the Sales Division. 

The next 10 years saw a tremendous career growth for him within the Hyatt Hotel and beyond.  He was given the opportunity to manage business development through the opening of new sales offices, first for The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, one of India’s prestigious luxury hotel chains across the country and overseas, and then later with the Imperial Hotel, Delhi's most coveted Heritage Hotel and ranked as one of South Asia's best

Having reached the pinnacle as Director of Sales, Prashant decided to expand his horizons by joining a search firm called Executive Access and conducted recruitment exclusively for senior executives.  This company, based in Hong Kong with offices in India, expanded its services into the Hospitality/ Travel & Real Estate fields, and they found Prashant to be an excellent choice with his vast network of contacts throughout this area and beyond.

Prashant is an excellent communicator and is also very resourceful because of his wide network. Aside from his role as the Project Manager for WHP in India, Prashant is also Head of Marketing for his own a newly formed luxury inbound travel company.