The Odyssey Management Team
With a combined 75 years experience in diverse areas of the automotive and event planning industry, the management team at Odyssey brings a wide variety of talents to each program they create.
| Garry Sowerby | President and CEO |
| Lisa Calvi | Director of Operations / Producer |
| Michael Doyle | Art Director |
| Luke Thompson | Logistics / Event Facilitator |
| Natalie Sowerby | Certified First Responder, Registered Nurse, Event Facilitator |
| Bill Rumsey | Vehicle Technician and Event Facilitator |
| Ron McEachern | Firefighter, Paramedic and Event Facilitator |
Garry Sowerby, President and CEO
Founder of Odyssey International Limited, Garry executed a record-setting drive around the world in 1980 and went on to break another 3 world records in long-distance driving.
A persuasive salesperson, Garry has been creating and implementing international driving adventures for 35 years. As a captain in the Canadian armed forces, Garry trained as a pilot then was responsible for testing military vehicles before resigning at the age of 26.
His abilities in leadership and logisitics have been the driving force behind Odyssey’s diverse successes over the past quarter-century.
A continuing member of AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) and a 2012 Inductee into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame, Garry is a columnist for the Halifax Herald and Vancouver Sun newspapers and the author of a book entitled Sowerby’s Road… Adventures of a Driven Mind.
Lisa Calvi, Director of Operations / Producer
With a background in languages and education, Lisa’s organizational skills and attention to detail make her a highly-skilled and versatile Project Leader. She is responsible for managing and overseeing all programs, events and special projects. Her trilingual capabilities make her a valuable asset to the wide-ranging global programs Odyssey develops.
Lisa writes a weekly column for the Driving section of The Province in British Columbia and is a contributor to Halifax Herald Wheels and Transcontinental Media’s ‘AutoGo’.
Michael Doyle, Art Director
Michael’s experience in graphic design for such varied clients as General Motors of Canada Ltd, Diamond Aviation Ltd., Sheraton Hotels and Ducks Unlimited provide the solid basis for his creative, imaginative work with Odyssey. Ever meticulous and intuitive, Michael is at home both in the studio and on location. He draws his inspiration from natural and cultural environments, as well as from his travels throughout North America, Europe and Africa.
Luke Thompson, Logistics / Event Facilitator
Luke brings to Odyssey a doggedness that outshines the hardest working border collie out there. Trucks, cars, trailers, motorcycles, ATVs, you name it he drives it, loves it and it shows. His constant remarkable cheerfulness is noted by all the people with whom he comes in contact. His marketing background blended with a detailed knowledge of the automotive industry make him a strong, capable program facilitator and a can-do problem solver. Luke's always ready with a big smile and a helping hand.
Natalie Sowerby, Certified First Responder, Registered Nurse, Event Facilitator
With three seasons of tree-planting under her belt, Natalie can adapt to almost anything, including how to deal with a bear in the wild. She has a cheerful, calm and steady demeanor in the hectic world of ever-changing logistics and timings of events. Natalie is a critical thinker and has the ability to efficiently analyze a situation and make appropriate adjustments as required. Her capacity to transfer skills learned in a nursing environment has come in handy in the constantly moving parts of on-the-road programs. Plus she can single-handedly stage a fleet of ten pickup trucks into almost as straight a line-up as her Dad.
Bill Rumsey, Vehicle Technician and Event Facilitator
Bill brings a wealth of vehicle repair and maintenance experience from his 20-years-plus time as a super-tech at Hickman Motors in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Now a full-time teacher at the Technical College in St. John’s, Bill joins the Odyssey Team during the summer months to help with events across North America.
Ron McEachern, Firefighter, Paramedic and Event Facilitator
Ron has worked as a firefighter for 20 years in Moncton, New Brunswick. His calm attitude in logisitics- and extremely detail-oriented Odyssey programs and his willingness to throw himself into any job big or small provides a welcome addition to the team. Plus he’s a nice guy!