His story
Peter is a marketing and communications expert through and through. At first, Peter didn’t think that running a marketing, communications, and public relations agency was what he would be doing for a living.
He actually struggled in high school in English but persevered and learned how to write and then became a full-time writer. His first job was writing speeches for politicians, he ended up being pretty good at it, and ended up writing for most of his career.
He’s always had a public-facing role, public relations, government relations type role throughout his career. Marketing, however, was a bit of a different story but was the natural progression to add to his skill set coming from a communications background.
It matched his personality too because marketing is a fast-paced world that matches his fast-paced thinking and matches how he can put together big pictures easily and experiment with new ideas and can grasp concepts quickly.
If anything his number one skillset is actually being able to step back and see the bigger picture and connect things; he is a natural connector. Connecting ideas, connecting what would fit together, connecting people, comes naturally to him which lends itself well to marketing and communications.
Strategy first
His history in government relations was and is extrinsically tied to public relations as public relations is tied to marketing and that’s the secret sauce Peter brings to the table because most people don’t have that three-pronged experience but Peter has lived it.
Most successful marketing, communications, and public relations agencies have a big picture and long term holistic view and realize the big picture is about strategy and not only about single tactics AKA getting the job done as fast as possible.
We make a good team
Whereas Peter is really good at getting people excited, at reading people and understanding and empathizing with their situation he’s the first to admit he’s not the best worker.
Christina is the one who can take his thoughts and turn them into something organized. Because we are so people-focussed this aspect of our company has allowed us to grow; it has allowed us to grow our services.
And when it comes to WSI Peter has built so many trusted relationships with their suppliers, and trusted relationships with other agencies that are part of the WSI network that we have learned an immense amount of things from, and without Peter’s skill set, we wouldn’t be where we are.
His ability to make connections has taken our agency to where it is now. He is the dreamer and Christina is the integrator that loves to turn his dreams into a step-by-step process to turn them into reality.
A company needs someone who is constantly dreaming and envisioning what the next thing will be. This process drives the direction of the business so that it is always challenged and always growing. So, our advice to you would be to never discount the value that ‘a dreamer’ can bring to your business, that and a culture of teamwork and fit to take your company to the next level.
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Christina Pilarski
Christina Pilarski is CEO and co-founder of CIPR Communications, a digital PR, marketing, and AI consulting agency serving hospitality, tourism, and luxury lifestyle brands across North America. Before starting CIPR in 2010 with her life partner and business partner, Peter Pilarski, Christina led campaigns in a series of corporate roles and served as Special Advisor to the Minister at Alberta's Department of Tourism, Parks and Recreation. She now leads a team of 20+ staff and contractors across CIPR and its AI-focused division, the Tourism AI Network. Christina holds a BA with Honours and an MA in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary. Outside the office, she's a mom of twins and two dogs, based in Calgary.
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Peter Pilarski
Peter Pilarski is the Founder of Tourism AI Network and President of CIPR Communications. He helps tourism and hospitality organizations adopt AI strategically — from AI search visibility and custom tool development to team training and executive advisory. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and AI advisor whose sessions blend practical frameworks with real-world results.