Aaron Nemoy is the founder and strategy lead at Crowdiate, helping brands develop exceptional ideas enabled by global creative competitions. The company has been a featured start-up at Cannes Lions and also manages the Canada Young Lions platform.

Aaron started his career in brand management at Kraft and Campbell’s. He was part of the winning team in the inaugural Young Lions Marketers competition and in 2015 was recognized with the ‘Marketer on the Rise’ award by the AMA Marketing Hall of Legends.

Andrea Hunt is a dynamic, C-suite executive with a history of success driving transformational growth for iconic B2C businesses. Through executive roles with Kellogg’s, Kraft, Molson, Arterra, and Mondelez, Andrea has led high-performance teams across North America and the globe.

A collaborator and boardroom influencer known for visionary leadership and strategic acumen, Andrea’s adeptness in commercial leadership, innovation, and operational management has been rewarded with outsized commercial performance and extensive industry accolades.

Andrea is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Canadian Advertisers and serves as an adjunct professor of marketing & strategy (MBA) with the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. Andrea also contributes selectively as an executive adviser and certified board member within the private sector.

Christine Cruz-Clarke is a seasoned global marketing executive with over 20 years of experience building iconic brands and leading cross-cultural teams worldwide. As Vice President and Global Head of Marketing Excellence at Kraft Heinz, Christine oversees strategic initiatives that enhance brand relevance and foster consumer connection, driving value creation across a portfolio of 200+ beloved brands sold in nearly 200 countries.

Passionate about consumer-centric brand building, Christine is known for leveraging the power of storytelling, innovation, and creative leadership to deliver meaningful, measurable results. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, Christine served as CEO of Balzac’s Coffee, General Manager of TerraCycle Canada, and held senior marketing and strategy roles at Mars, Hershey, Kraft Foods and Deloitte.

Today, she is dedicated to empowering and engaging the global Kraft Heinz marketing community by shaping the company’s brand-building and marketing capability agenda, to equip marketers at all levels navigate today’s fast-evolving business landscape with confidence and agility.

Deyra Jaye Fontaine (she/her) is an inclusive marketing strategist, certified diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practitioner, and steering committee member at People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing (POCAM). With a passion for responsible marketing practices and authentic storytelling, she helps brands create experiences that foster a sense of inclusion and belonging for employees and customers alike.

Jacquie is the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, overseeing all commercial verticals including brand, business development, partnerships, digital, fan engagement, sport business and sustainability. Jacquie is also the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation where she is responsible for overall business leadership and board governance.

Jacquie joined the COC in August 2019 where she had an immediate impact on the organization and Team Canada. She has overseen the development, negotiation, and activation of COC’s National Partners including lululemon, Bell Canada, Canadian Tire, RBC. She has also led the launch of the Team Canada app, the Team Canada Impact Agenda, as well as the highly successful #WeAReAllTeamCanada campaign in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to Jacquie’s experience in marketing and sponsorship, she has a strong background in social impact and ESG. Her previous roles with Scotiabank include both Vice President, Sponsorship Marketing, and Philanthropy and Vice President, Global Social Enterprise + Sustainable Business.

During her time at Scotiabank, Jacquie and her team secured the $800 million Scotiabank Arena naming rights sponsorship —the largest arena deal in North American history at that time— and led numerous award-winning hockey and arts marketing programs, while also helping lead the SCENE program to a top position in loyalty programs in Canada.

Jacquie is no stranger to the business of sports, having been Head, Olympic Marketing, Global Brand Marketing at RBC, where she led the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games business plan, negotiations, and marketing programs to unprecedented success. During her 12 years at RBC, she held several progressive positions, including Director, Marketing and Sponsorship, and Director, RBC Foundation.

Jacquie was awarded 2024 Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Marketing Association. In 2023, she was named a Women in Sport Business “Games Changer” by the Sports Business Journal. Additionally, Jacquie was named one of Bay Street Bull’s 2021 Women of the Year, and in 2019 was recognized by the Hockey News as the top female (#57) on the Top 100 People of Power and Influence in Hockey. Her other accolades include earning a spot as one of the Most Influential Women in Hockey by the Toronto Star in 2018, being named as one of the top 25 (#8) Most Influential People in Canadian Sport by Yahoo! Sports in 2015. An avid skier, Jacquie’s career in sport was inspired by her early years working in the ski industry in Banff, Alberta.

Jacquie holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Marketing from George Brown College, a Masters Certificate in Marketing Communications from Schulich School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario. Jacquie is a CSIA Level III Ski Instructor, a Board Director with the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, a Board Director with the Canadian Marketing Association, and is a Co- Chair of the 2023 Sponsorship Marketing Awards.

Jonelle Ricketts is head of Marketing for IKEA Canada, a world’s leading home furnishing retailer. For nearly 50 years, Canadians have welcomed IKEA into their homes and they have been strong supporters of the IKEA brand, product range and its vision “to create a better everyday life for the many people”.

Jonelle started her IKEA journey in 2011 in Canada in the role of Marketing & Advertising Specialist, supporting with campaign creative development and media planning across all owned and paid channels.

In 2016, she was promoted into the position of Media Manager where she led paid media planning and execution, for IKEA Canada and for IKEA Netherlands a couple of years later. Jonelle went on to join the Ingka Global Communication team in Leiden, Netherlands where she gained valuable experience working as the Global Communication Knowledge & Development Leader, focusing on the development of communications teams across Ingka and leading the global Communication matrix.

Most recently, Jonelle has held the position of Global Marketing Communication Leader as part of the Marketing Communications team at Inter IKEA Systems in Delft, Netherlands, where she supported the global marketing transformation project and developed a global marketing matrix for retailers outside of Ingka Group.

Jonelle also brings with her several years of experience in Marketing and Communications supporting other organizations such as BlackBerry and Sephora Canada.

Her favourite IKEA product is the PAX closet system with KOMPLEMENT interior solutions. As someone who is obsessed with organization, PAX has been a game-changer for Jonelle with its versatility, flexibility, and unbeatable price.

Matt Houghton is the Digital and Integrated Marketing Leader for Interac, where he oversees advertising campaigns, digital channels and content, and always-on marketing. Matt works closely with stakeholders across the organization to build programs in support of key business priorities and commercial products, and to maintain trust and audience consideration for the Interac brand. He is a marketing, media and communications leader, with expertise in strategy development, creative execution, and channel planning across platforms. Prior to joining Interac, Matt has held leadership roles at organizations including Publicis, Bell Media, Red Bull and Publicis.

Maxine Chapman is an internationally acclaimed Brand and Sponsorship marketing executive from the CPG and Entertainment industries. Maxine is the VP of Brand & Marketing Officer at OLG, responsible for leading a Brand and Marketing solutions team who deliver marketing and brand experiences that generate revenue and positive impact for communities across Ontario.

Over the past 15+ years, Maxine has been a recognized leader in the Brand and Experiential space garnering several industry awards.  Her work at Coca-Cola in both Canada and Internationally across 4 Olympic games garnered strong business returns and Brand sentiment for Coca-Cola, earning the prestigious Grand EX award by Event Marketer.  Maxine is also credited with contributions for the viral Masterbrand refresh work at Cineplex which logged over 100M views (92% organic) leading Canada’s Strategy magazine to award Cineplex as one of their ‘Brands of the Year’ in 2016.  At OLG, Maxine leads a team of passionate marketers whose successful campaigns and profitable growth have led to 4 Cannes Lions, 2 Effies, 2 Clios, multiple CMAs and the top Advertising awards at both the North American and Global Lottery Associations.  Maxine has also been named as one of Canadian Strategy’s top marketers in 2024.

Maxine is also an avid scuba diver, boater and enjoys family time with her Olympic baby (born on the last day of the Paralympics at London 2012 – perfectly timed!), partner and English yellow lab, Archie.

Rachel MacAdam is the Vice President of Marketing at SkipTheDishes where she leads a talented team of marketers responsible for brand strategy, creative, customer engagement, digital media, partnerships and full-funnel marketing campaigns for Canada’s homegrown food delivery network.

Since joining in 2023, Rachel has made significant contributions to Skip’s growth and evolution, with a focus on championing a best-in-class customer experience to drive acquisition and engagement through powerful brand storytelling, personalized digital experiences, and an enriched customer value proposition through brand offers, partnerships and sponsorships.

Prior to Skip, Rachel spent over 20 years with LoyaltyOne. She was the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Rewards and Customer Care, where she grew her leadership scope to 300 team members and played a critical role in building the AIR MILES Reward Program into one of the largest and most recognized loyalty brands in Canada.

Rachel is also a passionate supporter and board member of motionball, a national non-profit that empowers young Canadians to be leaders in their community, raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics through integrated social and sporting events.

As Chief Marketing Officer of MLSE, Shannon oversees one of the largest and most diverse sports marketing portfolios in North America. With more than 25 years of experience, Shannon leads all brand marketing and fan experience functions for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, the Toronto Argonauts, MLSE LIVE and MLSE Foundation and has helped steward a number of key partnerships that has helped drive MLSE’s brands to new heights.

Shannon is a dynamic and community-minded leader with a distinct and collaborative creative insight that has contributed to MLSE’s many award-winning marketing campaigns and culture-defining partnerships, including the Raptors ‘Welcome Toronto’ campaign with Drake and OVO and the Maple Leafs’ ‘Flipside’ jersey designed with Justin Bieber and Drew House, which enjoyed the most successful NHL jersey launch of all time.

In her more than 23 years with MLSE, Shannon has held key leadership roles in the areas of Marketing, Communications and Global Partnerships and has proven to be a valuable ambassador for the organization both within MLSE and in the community. In 2019, Shannon was recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women – Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network as well as being included in Toronto Life’s list of Most Influential Torontonians. That same year, Shannon was also honoured with the Gold Medal Award by the Association of Canadian Advertisers, recognizing an individual who has contributed and advanced the advertising industry in Canada. In 2017, Shannon was recognized with the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Ontario College Graduates, and the following year, was named one of Adweek’s ’33 Media, Marketing and Tech Stars Who Have Helped Make Toronto a Vibrant Creative Hub.’

Shannon is equally as active as a leader in the industry and the community, participating in many philanthropic initiatives including missions to Kenya, New Orleans and Jamaica as part of her volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity and Free The Children and serving on the Board of Directors for Canada Basketball, Giants of Africa, Right To Play and MLSE Foundation.

Under Shannon’s leadership, MLSE’s brand marketing team has earned an industry-wide reputation for producing many of the most popular and impactful sports marketing campaigns, including the Raptors’ ‘We The North’ and Toronto FC’s ‘Bloody Big Deal’ campaigns. These two revolutionary campaigns led Strategy Magazine to spotlight Shannon as Marketer of the Year that year. Later that year, Shannon help orchestrate a successful bid for the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, the first NBA All Star event held outside the United States, and designed and erected the Maple Leafs Legends Row, a series of permanent bronzed statues celebrating the storied history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2024, Shannon helped spearhead the hosting of the 2024 NHL All Star Weekend, an event that revitalized the brand and fan engagement of the NHL’s flagship event.

In addition to her personal awards and recognition, MLSE’s marketing team has been awarded numerous awards including leading recognition from the NHL, NBA and MLS, CLIO Sports Awards, the In-House Agency Forum Awards Gold Prize and the Leaders Sports Awards Community Award.

Shirley Mukerjea has been with PepsiCo for 16 years with over two decades of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry in Canada. Today, Shirley leads the Global Positive Brands and Corporate brand agendas, strengthening reputation and brand trust through sustainable and equitable strategies that make positive impacts on people and planet.

Shirley started her marketing career at Kraft Canada, leading brands like Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and joined PepsiCo Canada in 2008. She has led several of PepsiCo’s iconic brands, including Gatorade, Lay’s, and Doritos, as well as driving Portfolio strategies with an E2E mindset and building a magnetic culture internally. Her experience spans across portfolio brand strategy, communications & media, innovation & new business, sports marketing, multicultural marketing, and shopper marketing & field sales engagement.

As a human-first marketer who connects deep emotional storytelling to growth, Shirley has been recognized with several industry accolades including the Cannes Gold Lion, Cassies, Sports Marketing Clios, and was recognized as a Star Women of Grocery winner for her contributions to the industry. She is also known for inspiring and coaching teams – winning Coach of the Year multiple times within PepsiCo, leading the agenda on marketing capability and investing in mentorship. In addition, Shirley is passionate about driving progress with respect to Inclusion, and is currently a Co-Executive Sponsor for PepsiCo Canada’s Women’s Inclusion Network and sits on the Forward Together industry board with partner companies like P&G, Starbucks, Samsung, Salesforce, Telus, Corus and Dentsu.

Shirley has a deep love affair with travel, fueled by her passion for discovery and immersive human experiences that has led her to 31 countries across 5 continents. She loves staying close to culture with her strong interests in music, dance, art, photography, sports and food. Shirley is married with a young toddler and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Early Life – Born, educated and worked in the UK for the first half of his existence.

Career – Sales (Xerox UK), Brand Management (Mars UK), Research (ACNielsen-Asia, NPD-Canada)… before selling to Ipsos in 2002.

Giving Back – Canadian Marketing Association board member and judge for the Young Lions. Earth Rangers Foundation board member.

Today – Ipsos (many senior leadership roles). Author of (among other things) the Most Influential Brand study – Globally. Digital Marketing Pulse , The Long Middle story. Frequent public speaker. + A new venture (public speaking Training/consulting) called SparkVision.

Personal – Hair – it is an ALL, or none issue. Eyewear is a big deal. Avid golfer/tennis player. BIG on hot weather. Loves a great hamburger and fries. Father of two daughters + best lifetime partner.

Honour – Canadian Marketing Association Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 https://youtu.be/Mvjt0yRCqXM

Tracey is a strategic and creative leader with a passion for problem solving, building brands and driving sustainable growth. She has a track record of nurturing strong teams, orchestrating organizational change, and developing emerging in-house practices to deliver consumer centricity @ the core.
Tracey Cooke is currently CMO, SVP, Head of Marketing and Commercialization at Nestle Canada, and Leader of the Centre for Marketing Excellence, a multidisciplinary team focused on driving consumer first thinking, accelerating change and capability building in Marketing, including Consumer Insights & Strategy, eBusiness, Consumer Engagement and Experience (including our in-house Consumer Engagement Service team, internal Community Management, Content, Media), Category Analytics, Packaging, and Agency/Tech Partnerships. She is a member of the Nestlé Canada Business Executive Team. She first joined Nestle as a Communication Director and was responsible for helping transform Nestle from its digital nascency (in Marketing) to a leading centre in the global network. Currently, she is an active Executive core member of the Nestle Canada DEI Steering Committee, Sponsor of the DEI Marketing Stream, and the Nestle Sustainability Steering Committee.
Prior to joining Nestlé Canada, Tracey worked in various communication, advertising and leadership roles at a number of agencies, including: the social purpose startup Public Inc (Director, Creative & Experience), her own consultancy twostories (Founding Partner, Chief Creative Officer & Strategy Lead), McCann (Vice President, Creative Director) and DDB Health & Lifestyle (Senior Copywriter).
Infinitely curious and a perpetual learner, Tracey started in the world of science with a degree in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, roles in pharma, a world renown science centre and emerging environmental technologies before she started a career in advertising – leveraging diversity of thought & experiences as a core philosophy for success.
Tracey has been a board member of the ACA (Association of Canadian Advertisers) for over 6 years, is a McKinsey CMO Alumni, Star Woman in Grocery 2023 Senior Leader award recipient, Marketer to Watch in 2024, and The 2024 ACA Gold Medal Winner in Marketing. She is a frequently requested keynote speaker and panel member for views on Marketing, Brand Building, Talent Development, Innovation, eCommerce and MarTech. She has been juror and Co-chair for numerous Advertising and Marketing Awards including The Effie and CMAs.

Dedicated to mentoring emerging talent in marketing and advertising, she believes in building powerful workplaces where empathy, vulnerability and belonging are key to commercial success.

Amber is a strategic storyteller who redefines how brands build relationships in an ever-evolving media landscape. As a Director at Citizen Relations, she leads interdisciplinary teams with an integrated approach to public relations, crafting innovative, culture-shaping campaigns. Driven by her pursuit of the “why,” Amber enables brands to lead with purpose, delivering ideas that will spark meaningful conversations.

Brendan brings over 20 years of experience in advertising and PR.

As Creative Director at Weber Shandwick, Brendan is known for developing highly-engaging creative work for brands across multiple verticals, including CPG, QSR, automotive, financial and healthcare. The foundation of his career was built in traditional advertising agencies working on conceptually driven above-the-line work for clients such as Hyundai, Ford, Colgate, Advil and Mc Donald’s. He’s proud to have created a new holiday for Cadbury (PALentine’s Day), planned an event worthy of a Kardashian for Sport Chek and built a pop-up store for OREO that resulted in frenzied line-ups snaking through Union Station. Most recently he sent a moustache to space for Movember, which garnered a world record.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Halla Rafati, President and Founder of Halo & Co., began her career in marketing, communications and public relations in 2000 with the San Antonio Spurs and the launch of a WNBA team in her home state. From there, her passion for travel and tourism led her to pursue a career abroad. Her first stop was Beijing where she was Lifestyle Procurement Manager for an international trading company. She then accepted a role as the Northern European Regional Marketing Coordinator for the Jordan Tourism Board. In 2008, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts recruited her as the Director of Public Relations at Four Seasons Hotel Amman. In January of 2012, Halla set off on a new adventure, moving back to North America, as she made her way to Toronto to serve the role of Director of Communications and Public Relations at their flagship hotel in Toronto.

In 2016, after nearly a decade of experience working internally with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Halla took her knowledge of travel and tourism, hospitality and economic development and married it with her strong business acumen and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, and introduced the world to Halo & Co. Having never worked at an agency before, she designed one that she would hire if she were the client.

Since founding Halo & Co., Halla’s leadership has led the business to tremendous growth and success, and her approach to delivering results to clients is attributed to always functioning as an extension of the brands she represents. With over two decades of experience in marketing, communications and public relations, her skills and abilities serve as invaluable assets to every organization she represents.

Jenn Harper: A Beacon of Innovation in Beauty and Philanthropy

Jenn Harper is not just a name in the beauty industry; she’s a revolution. An award-winning social entrepreneur and international speaker, Jenn is the trailblazing founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics—a brand that has gracefully painted the ideals of sustainability and inclusion onto a global canvas. From its inception in 2015, Jenn has nurtured Cheekbone Beauty into a B. Corp Certified force, now gracing the shelves of Sephora Canada and 550 JC Penney locations across the USA.

Jenn’s journey with Cheekbone began as a digitally native, direct-to-consumer brand that took pride in its commitment to reducing environmental impact and supporting Indigenous communities. Her formidable leadership made sure Cheekbone stood out not only for its stunning products but also for its ethical backbone—it became a symphony of transparency, philanthropy, and support for women and youth. To date, over $250,000 have been donated to philanthropic causes, testament to Cheekbone’s core values.

Cheekbone’s prestige has been hard-earned. In 2019, Jenn Harper made a confident appearance on Canada’s Dragon’s Den, the nation’s equivalency of Shark Tank. While she turned down offers, her unwavering resolution steered Cheekbone towards exponential growth. Jenn’s tactical negotiations led to expansive contracts with major retailers in North America, shining a beacon of inspiration for Indigenous women by placing an Indigenous CEO-led brand on equal footing with global industry giants.

Jenn Harper stands as more than a CEO; she is a voice for entrepreneurship, exerting influence on topics that are reshaping the business landscape: social entrepreneurship, empathy, representation, inclusivity, and sustainability. Regularly sought after for her insights, Jenn weaves her narrative as both a woman and a representative of North America’s Indigenous peoples, substantiating the importance of these values in today’s business ecosystem.

The accolades accruing to Jenn’s name bear the weight of her achievements. In 2022, she was listed among the 100 Women of Influence by Entrepreneur Magazine—a list graced by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. In 2023, Jenn was conferred an Honorary Doctorate degree from the Goodman School of Business at Brock University. This honorary degree recognized her unwavering dedication to community betterment and adamant endeavors in championing sustainability. In November of 2024, Jenn Harper was also named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

Jenn Harper, with Cheekbone Beauty, brings forth a narrative of passion, resilience, and authenticity. Her biography is not just about the ascent of a brand; it’s the story of a vision brought to life, of barriers broken, and of a future envisioned where commerce and charity coalesce seamlessly, all painted with the strokes of an eco-friendly brush.

As the CEO of MSL, North Strategic and Notch Video, Jess leads operations and management for three agency brands with unique but complementary offerings. She guides her teams with a steady and insightful approach that prioritizes people, opportunity, growth and innovation. With a talent for building thoughtful, creative campaigns and signature brand moments, Jess has worked across many industries, including technology, real estate, retail, CPG, finance, and travel.

Jess specializes in developing C-level thought leadership and earned media strategies for both North American and global clients. Her counsel in brand and reputation management, risk mitigation, and crisis communications is sought after by some of Canada’s largest brands. Dedicated to integrating PR, communications, and content through the creative process, she has made an impact beyond her immediate clients to foster growth opportunities for the Publicis Groupe and Principal brands within the network.

Under her leadership, Jess has built high-performance, award-winning teams that promote inclusivity, creativity, and barrier-breaking initiatives. Her contributions to the industry have been recognized with several accolades, including the Sabre Awards for Canadian PR Agency of the Year, Marketing Magazine’s Top 10 Agencies in Canada, and a 2024 campaign Effie. Jess is an active member of the Advisory Council for the School of Professional Communications at TMU, strong supporter and judge of Enactus Canada fueling the next generation of student entrepreneurs, and has been named two years in a row to the Top Women Leaders of Toronto.

Krista Webster is the President & CEO of Veritas Communications and Vice-Chair of a cluster of Stagwell Global (formerly known as MDC Partners) agencies spanning from advertising, shopper marketing to digital and PR.
Collectively, Krista brings more than 20 years of global agency public relations, social media, and influencer marketing experience, working with blue-chip clients in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

A self-professed change agent, Webster is always looking for ways to push the envelope creatively and strategically; consistently striving to innovate ahead of the curve. In early 2019, Webster expanded the Veritas family to include performance-driven influencer co-creation and digital content hub, Meat & Produce (M&P), to strategically bring influencers more fully to the table and fill a digital and e-comms gap she identified in the market.

Credited with managing $50+ million in client portfolios on both sides of the North American border by her late twenties with particular expertise in consumer marketing and pharma, Webster attributes her accelerated success to a strong focus on the integration of PR, digital advocacy, and influencer marketing levers with other below and above the line channels. She believes wholeheartedly that the best ideas are media agnostic born from a unifying insight. The channels you employ – earned, owned, or paid – are secondary to the power of an idea that truly transcends and breaks through.

Webster’s awards and accolades are a testament to her success, hard work and dedication. In addition to her numerous accomplishments, Webster has been named as one of PRWeek’s Top 40 Under 40, PRNews’ Top Women In PR, PRovoke’s Innovator 25, and an Adweek Brand Star.  In 2021, she was selected as a PR Juror at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2022, she was selected as the Public Service Advertising Co-Chair at Strategy Online’s Marketing Awards in Canada. In 2023, Webster was appointed as a Trustee to the Institute for Public Relations Board. Additionally, Doner Partners Network was selected as Agency Standout by Ad Age.

Lisa Pasquin is the President and Founder of Craft Public Relations. Craft provides media relations, influencer engagement and strategic communications services to leading consumer brands, including Tim Hortons, Burger King, Nintendo of Canada, Hershey and Moosehead Breweries. In 2024 alone, Craft was named Agency Team of the Year by the Canadian Public Relations Society and Canadian PR Agency of the Year at Sabre Awards, and was shortlisted for PRovoke’s Global Consumer PR Agency of the Year. Lisa herself has been the recipient of a number of honours and accolades, including being named a Top Woman in PR by PRNEWS, PR Professional of the Year by the Canadian Public Relations Society and a Top 25 PR Innovator in the Americas by PRovoke Media. Lisa has a particular passion for building strong agency culture, and has taken a leadership role on the topic of salary transparency – you’ll find salary bands for every role at Craft proudly displayed on the agency’s website

With +20 years of expertise, Lynne is a dynamic Senior Marketing Executive renowned for pioneering consumer-centric strategies that drive tangible business results.  She thrives in creating high-performance cultures where innovation, collaboration, and empowerment are at the core, inspiring teams to consistently exceed expectations and redefine what’s possible.

Under her guidance, Volkswagen has shattered records in the Canadian market, earning accolades such as a Cannes Lion, a Grand Clio, a One Show pencil, and multiple awards at Canadian advertising festivals.

An expert in her field, Lynne is a sought-after judge for the Canadian Marketing Awards, the Atomic Awards, the Effies, and Media in Canada. She’s also contributed to Automotive News’ Leading Women in Canada Roundtable, Ipsos from Struggles to Success and served on the advisory board for Media in Canada.

Maja Neable is the Canadian Chief Marketing Officer at TD. She is a progressive marketing leader, with a passion for building great customer experiences and driving business growth in both digital and traditional channels. She is well-recognized as an innovative, action-oriented, well-rounded business executive, with over 20 years of international experience.

Prior to TD, Maja led various marketing teams at BMO. Prior to BMO she held senior roles across the U.S., Canada, and Europe in a variety of industries, including technology (Microsoft and Expedia) and telecommunications (Rogers Communications and Telenor Group). Maja’s leadership across digital & traditional marketing, sales & service, and product development have allowed her to combine analytical and creative thinking to elevate the customer experience, with data-driven innovation across every touchpoint. As a mathematician who loves creativity, this combination of left and right brain is what has guided her career.

Maja led her teams to win over 10 CMA awards including “Best of the Best” award in 2023, and two gold Lions at Cannes Lion, considered “Oscars of Marketing”. She was named as one of the Top 10 Global CMOs at 2023 Cannes Lion.

Maja is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and chairs the DEI leadership committee for Transformation, Enablement and Customer Experience teams at TD. She sits on the Board of Soulpepper Theatre. Maja holds a B Math degree from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from IMD, Switzerland. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons, and enjoys skiing, fitness, and reading.

With over 20 years’ experience in the marketing industry, Melanie is the Chief Marketing Officer of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation – Canada’s largest and leading cancer charity – where she heads marketing for all of the Foundation’s revenue channels. Prior to that, she was the CEO of the Canadian offices of global advertising agency Forsman & Bodenfors.

She joined Forsman from DDB, where she was President of the Canadian operations of the global DDB network. During her tenure, Melanie helped transform DDB into an integrated agency, merging digital, social, CRM, shopper marketing, PR and advertising into a seamless offering for clients.

Prior to that she was a Group Marketing Manager at TD, responsible for the strategic direction and development of the bank’s brand advertising and sponsorship programs.

With senior level, integrated experience across a range of sectors including financial, technology, telecommunications, retail and packaged goods, she is a passionate believer in the power of marketing to solve business challenges.

Melanie is a prior Board Member of the Institute of Canadian Advertisers, an Effie and Cannes Lions judge, and a regular speaker at industry conferences.

Sandra Sanderson is Chief Marketing Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc., where she leads marketing across multiple banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Thrifty Foods, Foodland, FreshCo, Lawtons, and Needs. Sandra is accountable for brand strategy, integrated marketing, Scene+ loyalty program, private label marketing, sponsorships, community investments, marketing technology, retail media, consumer insights and an in-house creative studio. Sandra currently serves on the Board of Special Olympics and Scene+.

Sandra has led marketing for iconic brands across many diverse industries. She started her career in consumer-packaged goods with P&G, Kraft and Coca-Cola. She worked as General Manager Brand Marketing at Canada Post and SVP Marketing at Universal Studios. Sandra’s career journey eventually led her to retail, where she was SVP Marketing at Shoppers Drug Mart, and Chief Marketing & Quality Officer at Walmart Canada. Sandra also worked in the U.S. as SVP Marketing at White House Black Market.

Sandra was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends in 2023 and won CMA’s Marketer of the Year award in 2020. She was named Marketer of the Year in 2012 by Strategy for her work at Shoppers Drug Mart and in 2021 for her work at Empire. She was also recipient of the 2015 Star Women in Grocery Award while at Walmart.

Throughout her career, Sandra has invested in giving back to the marketing community. She served on the Canadian Marketing Association’s Board of Directors, including as Vice-Chair. She was Chair of Retail Council of Canada’s Senior Retail Marketing Committee and was on the Advisory Board of the Shopper Marketing Forum and Dx3. Sandra has chaired and judged numerous marketing awards and is a frequent speaker at marketing conferences.

Vanessa is the President of Proof Strategies, one of Canada’s leading communications firms. With a passion for authentic storytelling and strategic problem-solving, Vanessa leads a talented team in delivering impactful campaigns that build trust, earn attention, and move audiences to action. Known for fostering innovation and collaboration, Vanessa champions integrated teams across PR, marketing, public affairs and government relations. A committed advocate for inclusivity and professional excellence, Vanessa balances business growth with a focus on culture and people-first leadership. Vanessa is a recipient of the Globe and Mail’s 2021 Report on Business Best Executive Award in the sales and marketing category, which celebrates excellence among non-CEO leaders.