Meet Our Judges

Richard Bélanger
VP, branding & design
Cossette

Richard brings a unique sense of style and unerring aesthetic design ethics to each project. For the last 20 years, he’s been coming up with ideas that make a statement—both visually and communicatively—and encapsulates all the signature qualities of the brand identity. He has worked on a diverse array of accounts ranging from museums to startups, NGOs and large Canadian and international corporations, easily moving between the worlds of art and design, as well as business and branding. His work has garnered local and international industry recognition, including design’s highest honours.

Suman Chahal
associate director, brand & marketing
Art Gallery of Ontario

Suman Chahal is a marketing and brand leader with more than 14 years of experience helping cultural and publishing organizations grow their audiences, strengthen their brands, and achieve meaningful business results. Having led marketing and brand initiatives at the Art Gallery of Ontario and HarperCollins Canada, she specializes in developing integrated marketing strategies that connect organizations with their audiences in relevant and impactful ways. Throughout her career, she has led brand transformations, launched high-profile campaigns for blockbuster exhibitions and bestselling authors, and built collaborative teams that turn audience insights into measurable growth.

Ryan Crouchman
partner, ECD & VP, design
LG2

Victoria Di Valerio
creative director, design
Edelman

Jaylone Lee
marketing and customer experience leader
Independent

Maude Lescarbeau
founder, head of design
maubau

Blending creative vision with strategic insight, her design approach is defined by a keen attention to detail and an exceptional ability to synthesize complex ideas. In 2020, she left her role as Creative Director at a major agency to launch her own brand identity studio, maubau. Beyond her entrepreneurial pursuits, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Société des designers graphiques du Québec and periodically teaches at the École de design at the Université du Québec à Montréal. In 2025, she served on the jury for the Canadian Young Lions Competition.

Driven by her passion for typography and architecture, maubau specializes in lettering and spatial design. As a female entrepreneur, she leads her team with a focus on strategic thinking and problem-solving, bringing creative, personal, and engaging visions to life. Throughout her career, she has strived to inspire those around her and make a positive impact on the world, cultivating expertise in co-creation and 360-degree branding.

Since its inception, maubau has consistently attracted attention. Early projects received awards from the ADCC, ADC, and Communication Arts, and the studio has since made its mark on the global stage, being featured on platforms such as Pentawards, Dieline, and Dezeen. This growth reflects her passion for pushing the boundaries of design toward universality.

Lisa Mok
creative director
Sephora

Toni Shelton
VP, brand & strategy
Collective Arts

Teresa Tam
creative director, design
Independent

Hans Thiessen
partner, ECD of design
Rethink

Jess Willis
chief brand officer
Saje Natural Wellness

As far as creatives go, Jess is a little bit different. She started her career twenty years ago in digital & design and has since worked at ground-breaking agencies like john st, Ogilvy, Cossette & TAXI. As the VP, ECD of Mosaic, she transformed the agency into a top 25 showing on Strategy's Creative Report Card - a jump of almost eighty spots and ushered the agency to its first Agency of the Year shortlist.

This unique combination of skills, as well as an appetite for learning new disciplines has allowed her to transition easily between clients, departments and projects. Moreover, it has shaped her into a channel agnostic creative who thinks in problems and solutions over words and pictures.

She’s been recognized at Cannes, ADC, One Show, Clios and Effies, and has been honoured in Canada at the ADCC, Marketing, Atomics and SIAs. With features in Lüzers Archive, Fast Company, Wired and Devour her portfolio of work has consistently blurred the lines between culture and commerce.

Genevieve Beharry
group creative director
Marks

Mareike Greve
head of marketing
LG

Mareike Greve is a dynamic marketing and strategy executive with experience leading business transformations, building brand equity in multi-brand ecosystems, and driving sustainable revenue growth across the consumer goods, electronics and household appliance sectors. 

As the Head of Marketing at LG Canada, Mareike leads the comprehensive marketing strategies across both B2C and B2B sectors for the company's diverse portfolio of products. She excels at balancing core business growth with innovative brand transformation, leveraging digital evolution, high-impact campaigns, and sports sponsorships to connect with Canadian audiences. 

With prior leadership roles at Whirlpool Canada and experience across the consulting and retail sectors, she brings a deep understanding of turning consumer insights into market-leading growth and aligning global corporate objectives with local execution. Mareike is known for her strong cross-functional collaboration, building trusted partner relationships and she has a passion for building effective teams, and fostering a high-performance team culture. 

Francis Guindon
VP, brand
Quartz Co. & Want Les Essentiels

Francis Guindon is a brand strategist and marketing executive with more than 15 years of experience building and elevating premium and luxury brands. As Vice President, Brand at WANT Les Essentiels and Quartz Co., he oversees global brand strategy, marketing and communications, creative direction, and omnichannel growth initiatives for two of Montreal’s leading fashion and lifestyle brands.

His career has been shaped by a passion for storytelling, design, and brand experience. From early roles in fashion marketing at Printemps in Paris to positions in visual merchandising at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy and marketing at m0851, Francis developed a deep understanding of how brands create meaningful connections with consumers. He later held senior leadership roles in public relations at Maison Birks, helping strengthen the reputation and visibility of one of Canada’s most established luxury brands.

Beyond his professional responsibilities, Francis is actively engaged in Montreal’s cultural community. After serving as Co-Chair of Les Printemps du MAC, a flagship fundraising event supporting the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, he joined the Board of the Fondation du MAC and serves on the Bal du MAC committee.

John Hotts
Sr. design director
OneMethod

John spearheads transformational change through design, while fostering a culture of curiosity & experimentation. He packs a smorgasbord of experience crafting brand identity and digital experience, with a side of everything else. His work as a designer & artist span almost 2 decades resulting in various awards & accolades including Marketing Mag’s top 30 under 30.

 His category experience includes Food & Beverage, Sports, Healthcare, Finance, Fashion, Tech, Retail & Hospitality. 

Howard Poon
VP, design director
FKA

Howard is known for frank feedback and a low tolerance for complexity. He feeds his curiosity with a Sunday New York Times subscription and stays hydrated with espresso. Deeply committed to nurturing emerging talent, he is an active volunteer with RGD, Canada’s largest professional association for graphic designers. As VP Design Director at FKA, Howard collaborates with cross-disciplinary strategists, creatives, and designers to turn insights into exceptional brands. In prior leadership roles at DDB Canada and TBWA\Canada, his teams earned international, national, and regional recognition with work featured in One Show, ADCC, Strategy Marketing Awards, Communication Arts, and Applied Arts.

Angela Scardillo MacInnis
CMO
Kits

Angela MacInnis is a senior brand and growth executive with experience across both agency and in-house leadership roles.

Known for building customer-centric brands in complex, fast-moving environments, she brings a sharp commercial lens and a track record of connecting brand, customer experience, and
performance marketing to drive sustainable growth.

As CMO of KITS, Canada’s fastest-growing online eyewear brand, Angela leads the company’s marketing strategy across digital and physical channels. She joined KITS with a mandate to scale a brand as sharp on performance as it is on customer experience.

Prior to KITS, Angela served as Senior Vice President at Best Buy Canada, overseeing Marketing, Store Design, Customer Experience, and Geek Squad Remote Services. She was instrumental in consolidating the Future Shop and Best Buy brands into a single unified identity, modernizing how millions of Canadians experienced the brand across retail, digital, and service.

Her work included building cross-functional agile marketing teams, launching immersive Experience Stores, and spearheading the launch of Best Buy Ads in Canada.

Earlier in her career, Angela built her foundation in agency environments, developing expertise
across integrated marketing, brand storytelling, creative leadership, and multi-channel strategy
before moving into senior in-house roles.

Laura Stein
chief creative officer
Bruce Mau Design

Laura is a strategically minded design leader and culture builder who has extensive
experience in branding, leading global rebrands of organizations such as Sonos,
ASICS, and Linksys. She has collaborated with a diversity of known clients from
lululemon to Hutchins Center at Harvard University to Abu Dhabi Department of Culture
and Tourism. Her work crosses fields of culture, fashion, architecture, technology,
education, and place across brand, print, motion, digital, and environmental.

Laura's long-term partnership with Sonos saw her team through the design of multiple facets of
the wireless audio brand experience — digital, retail, social, packaging, and content.
Her work has been featured in books such as Designing Brand Identity, Dynamic
Identities and recently in The Elements of Brand Design, as well as publications like
Fast Company, Communication Arts, It’s Nice That, Print and Creative Review. She has
been recognized by Cannes Lions and D&AD, among others. She has served as a
member of the Board of Directors for the Advertising and Design Club of Canada. She
enjoys talking about vision and process at conferences like Brand New, DesignThinkers,
FITC and has chaired Young Lions, juried ADC, Communications Arts, and Marketing
Awards.

Laura had an unconventional start to her design career, dipping her toes in the music
world riding the wave of the Seattle grunge scene in the ‘90s with her all-female band,
Jale, as a singer and bass guitarist. Signed to notable Sub Pop Records and touring the
world, this was when Laura found her gateway to design. Though she studied fine art, it
wasn’t until she began designing album covers and posters that she took interest in
design and branding. Laura’s musical background has given her a unique perspective
into branding and a testament to her established career, expertise and perspective as
CCO for the award-winning firm.

Jennifer Taback
Co-CEO
Design De Plume

Jennifer Taback is a member of Shawanaga First Nation and Co-CEO at Design de Plume. She sees herself as a visual translator, helping to bridge connections and use emerging technology to facilitate dialogue, increase understanding, and make some cool stuff along the way. Jennifer currently serves the role of listener, advisor, and strategist on projects that venture into new and unknown territories, while acknowledging the experiences and stories of the past.

Current accreditations and governance experience include: Registered Graphic Designer of Canada, Cambrian College Board of Governors – Chair of the Board, Chair of the Indigenous Education Circle; and Nickel Basin Federal Development Corporation – Board Member. 

Dave Watson
head of design
BHLA

If it seems like Dave has a feel for the rhythms of visual communication, it comes naturally to him.

A born lover of music, his dreams of playing drums for the Rolling Stones were crushed at an
early age. He quickly rebounded, however, and turned his attention to design.

For over 25 years, Dave has honed his craft at some of Canada’s top agencies, including Broken
Heart Love Affair, TAXI and Mosaic. His work for brands such as Anheuser-Busch, MINI, Nike,
and TELUS has earned more than 200 accolades at design award shows from around the globe.

Dave is a true idea man. He believes that while visual and technology trends may come and go,
emotive ideas are timeless. At BHLA, he continues to bring this philosophy to life, helping clients transform their businesses through design. At least, that is until he gets a call from the Stones.

Urania Agas
chief operating officer, WPP & chair, CMDC
WPP Media Canada

With over 14 years of dedicated service to WPP Media, Urania has distinguished herself across
various senior leadership roles.

Most recently, as Chief Operating Officer in Canada, she is instrumental in driving operational excellence, enhancing efficiency, and achieving ambitious organizational goals. Leveraging over 25 years of extensive industry expertise, Urania has consistently powered transformative growth for a diverse portfolio of notable local and global businesses across sectors including travel, finance, CPG, and retail.

Beyond her executive responsibilities, Urania is recognized as an industry thought leader, championing empathetic leadership and actively furthering the next generation of women in leadership.

Jennifer Bidwell
VP, business solutions
Horizon Media

I am a senior media executive with over 20 years of experience bridging the gap between strategic media planning, sales leadership, and high-impact business solutions. Currently, as the Vice President of Business Solutions at Horizon Media Canada, I specialize in driving data-led, integrated marketing strategies that deliver measurable growth and connect brands with their target audiences.

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of holding key leadership roles across both the vendor and agency sides of the business. Prior to Horizon Media, I served as EVP of Sales & Marketing at ALLVISION Digital Out-of-Home, and previously held leadership positions including National Sales Manager at Astral OOH (Bell Media), Managing Director of Television Systems at Media Experts, and National Sales Manager at Corus Entertainment.

My core expertise lies in the digitization of traditional media—including DOOH, CTV, and connected audio—and leveraging emerging technologies to build advanced, cross-channel campaigns. Most recently, my focus has been on designing comprehensive media and marketing frameworks for major clients like Calgary Airports (YYC) and pioneering advanced mobile advertising strategies in the Canadian market for brands like SharkNinja. I also stay deeply immersed in market analysis, evaluating ownership dynamics and the competitive landscape of Canadian media to better guide strategic advertiser investments.

Beyond my day-to-day role, I am passionate about driving industry standards forward. I serve as a co-chair of the IAB DOOH Committee and am an active judge for the Effie Awards Canada, championing the alchemy of marketing effectiveness.

Monique Brosseau
former president Group M, Quebec
Independent

Monique Brosseau is an accomplished executive leader with more than 25 years of experience
spanning marketing, communications, media, digital transformation, and general management.
Most recently, she served as President, Québec at GroupM Canada (WPP Media), where she
transformed the Québec operation into a profitable, award-winning business and strengthened its competitive position in the market.

Throughout her career, Monique has held senior leadership positions with some of Canada's
most recognized organizations, including GroupM, Mediacom, Reitmans, DDB, ZenithOptimedia, Nurun and L’Oréal Canada. Her expertise spans brand strategy, media innovation, customer experience, organizational transformation, business development and executive leadership.

Monique has worked with leading Canadian and global brands across consumer goods, retail,
financial services, healthcare, technology, government, and professional services. She is widely recognized for her ability to align business strategy with marketing effectiveness, build high-  performing multidisciplinary teams and deliver sustainable growth.

A respected industry contributor, Monique has served on multiple judging panels, including the
Effie Canada Awards, Media Innovation Awards, Prix IDEA and the Marketing Hall of Legends
selection committee, bringing a broad perspective on strategic excellence, creativity, and
business impact.

Greg Dermer
director, enterprise brand marketing
OLG

Laura Heck
EVP of media
ChangeMakers

Laura Lewandowski is EVP, Media at ChangeMakers, where she leads integrated media strategy and performance across a diverse portfolio of clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. With more than 20 years in the industry, including eight years leading major client portfolios at OMD, Laura is known for leading with curiosity and a passion for innovation, combining data, technology and creativity to solve complex marketing challenges and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Melanie Johnston
CMO
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation

Melanie is the Chief Marketing Officer of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, where she
leads marketing strategy across all revenue channels in support of one of the world’s leading cancer centres.

Previously, she was CEO of the Canadian operations of global agency Forsman &; Bodenfors, and before that, President of DDB Canada. In these roles, she led large, multidisciplinary teams and was instrumental in transforming agency models to deliver integrated marketing solutions spanning advertising, digital, direct, social, and PR.

Earlier, Melanie held a senior marketing role at TD, where she was responsible for the strategic
direction of the bank’s brand advertising and sponsorship portfolio.

She brings extensive leadership experience across multiple sectors, including financial services,
technology, telecommunications, retail, and consumer goods, and is a strong advocate for the role of marketing in driving organizational growth and financial impact.

Quincy Kelman
VP, marketing
Disney

Quincy Kelman, VP of Marketing for Walt Disney Studios Canada. I began my career at OMNI Television before moving into film working for Cineplex Entertainment and joining Walt Disney Studios in 2008. In my current role, I oversee all content and brand marketing for Walt Disney in Canada including theatrical, and streaming titles. In my time at Disney, I have led successful campaigns for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: End Game, Frozen 2, the launch of Disney+ and most recently Lilo & Stitch, Avatar: Fire and Ash, the Hulu brand launch, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessetteand Devil Wears Prada 2. In addition to my role at Walt Disney Studios, I’m also a board member of the Canadian Picture Pioneers and BSO.

Bruce Neve
president
True Media

As president at True Media Canada, Bruce brings with him more than thirty years’ experience leading major media agencies. He champions media innovation, the smart use of data, and collaboration while driving strategy, planning and buying across all platforms for both English and French Canada. He believes that talent,  creativity, agility and an entrepreneurial spirit are keys to ignite positive business results. His curiosity and passion for media, technology, and cultural shifts is only matched by his forays in travel, artistic endeavors and all things family.

Meera Patel
director of marketing
Taco Bell

British-born and Canada-based, Meera Patel is a growth-minded marketing leader known for turning consumer insight, brand strategy, and bold creative thinking into measurable business impact. As Director of Marketing for Taco Bell, she has helped fuel double-digit same-store sales growth in Canada while strengthening the brand’s relevance in one of the country’s most competitive QSR markets. Known for connecting data with creativity, Meera brings a disciplined and commercially focused approach to brand-building; sharpening positioning, identifying growth opportunities, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver work that resonates with Canadians and drives results. A calculated risk taker, she is drawn to ideas that challenge convention while staying grounded in business outcomes. Meera brings a thoughtful, strategic lens to evaluating creative work, with a deep appreciation for ideas that move both culture and commerce.

Wes Wolch
marketing & advertising executive consultant
Independent

As an Award-Winning Brand and Advertising Leader at organizations such as Holt Renfrew & Cosette Media, Wes is an expert in crafting integrated Brand, Communications, Content, Experiential, and Growth strategies across Retail, Alcohol, CPG, Automotive, and Telco for top Canadian corporations. Driven by a deep passion for cultural trends and communication innovation, he is known for delivering transformative brand campaigns with the likes of Beyonce and reinventing the approach to culturally influenced media and growth strategies. His work has earned multiple industry awards including CMAs, MIAs, Effies, Cassies, Strategy Awards, Agency of the Year, and a Cannes Lion for delivering effective and efficient impact across diverse client portfolios.

Tanya Bevington
head of communications
IKEA

Tanya Bevington is Head of Communications for IKEA Canada, a world’s leading home furnishing retailer. For 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”. Tanya joined IKEA in 2014 and is responsible for overseeing corporate communications, public relations, employee communications and public affairs for IKEA in Canada. Tanya is also a member of the Canadian management team for IKEA.

Prior to joining IKEA, Tanya spent ten years working in communications and marketing for Waterfront Toronto, the tri-government agency responsible for overseeing the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront.

Working in the communications field for more than twenty years, Tanya is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in corporate communications, media and government relations, brand positioning, internal communications, strategic planning and issues management.

Felisia Canedo
director of communications
Aldo

Felisia Canedo is a communications leader with more than a decade of experience in public relations, corporate comms, and brand storytelling. As Director of Communications for North America and MEA at ALDO, she leads strategic initiatives across global markets. Prior to her tenure at ALDO, she spent several years spearheading global public relations efforts through agency roles across the fashion, retail, and lifestyle sectors. 

Kristy Dilbey
VP, national practice lead, consumer & brand
Burson

As Consumer & Brand Practice Lead for Burson Canada, Kristy leads a team of passionate brand builders that bring instinct, taste and cultural fluency to their work. She manages some of the firm’s most dynamic and integrated accounts in Canada, including adidas, Expedia, Vaseline, Whirlpool and more.

Kristy is a seasoned client service leader and specializes in integrated marketing communications, earned-first creativity, brand experience and reputation.

She has deep expertise advising brands within the food and beverage, CPG, automotive and technology industries, having previously led client accounts including Campari, Mazda, IKEA, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen and Snapchat.

Victoria Freeman
SVP, global marketing
Canada Goose

Victoria Freeman is Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Canada Goose, where she leads the brand's global marketing strategy across brand, creative, consumer, retail & WHS, public relations, talent & partnerships, and integrated marketing. She is responsible for shaping how one of Canada's most iconic global brands connects with consumers around the world, driving brand growth through culturally relevant storytelling, innovation, and strategic marketing. 

With more than 15 years of experience spanning communications, brand marketing, public relations, and digital & social strategy, Victoria has held senior roles across both agency and in-house environments, building a career creating impactful campaigns and guiding brands through an evolving media landscape. Prior to joining Canada Goose, she held leadership positions at North Strategic and Highroad Communications, where she advised global brands on corporate communications, social strategy, influencer marketing, media relations, and reputation management. She also spent time at Salesforce leading customer adoption of the newly formed Marketing Cloud for clients such as PepsiCo., Bank of America and Capital One.

Christine Harris
VP, marketing, communications
Luminato Festival

Christine Harris is a senior marketing and design executive with more than 20 years of experience building resonant brands across media, education, health and arts industries. Known for fostering energetic, high-performing creative cultures where craft excellence and innovation thrive, she develops creative strategies that move people. 

Currently, Christine is the VP of Marketing and Communications at Luminato Festival, where she led a brand transformation that has evolved Luminato into a global cultural destination. She played a pivotal role in growing and transitioning charitable brands such as the Canadian Cancer Society, TVO, YMCA Canada; as well as in Board capacities for North York Arts and Scarborough Arts. 

Kate Hillyar
Director, corporate communications
Aurora Cannabis

Kate Hillyar is a strategic communications leader with more than 15 years of experience spanning corporate reputation, media relations, employee engagement, community partnerships, and ESG. She currently serves as Director, Corporate Communications at Aurora, where she leads external communications planning, media relations, and global reputation initiatives across multiple international markets. Prior to working in the cannabis industry, Kate spent nearly seven years on the communications team at Coca-Cola Canada. Kate is known for her pragmatic, collaborative leadership style and for helping organizations strengthen their corporate narrative, build trust with stakeholders, and further business goals through clear, effective communications.

Sherline Joe
VP, communications
Media Profile

Lisa Kwong
president
Public/Realm

Alison Lawler-Dean
chief marketing officer
Rethink Breast Cancer

Alison Lawler-Dean is a Toronto-based marketing and communications executive.

With diverse marketing, communications and digital expertise developed from working for groundbreaking companies in growth and transformation mode including Canada’s largest national retailer, a hyper-growth CPG start-up, and an extremely savvy, entrepreneurial charity. Her professional background started in editorial, evolving into communications, digital and social/content marketing, and now into fully integrated, brand-building MarComms and operational strategy to help businesses and teams thrive and grow. Alison is currently CMO at Rethink Breast Cancer, a charity taking a break-through approach to breast cancer education, support and advocacy where she is helping set the organization up for its next era of impact. 

Shannon Stephaniuk
founder
Glossy

Shannon Stephaniuk is the founder of Glossy, a Toronto-based publicity and marketing
consultancy specializing in advertising and creativity.
 
For two decades, she has worked with agencies, brands, charitable organizations, and
production partners to shape how creative work is positioned, understood and covered,
translating ideas into stories that resonate with both trade and mainstream media.
 
Her work has included global brands as well as cultural figures such as OK Go, Radiohead, and
Douglas Coupland. She is particularly passionate about supporting work that creates
meaningful cultural and social impact, including a long-standing partnership with the Canadian
Down Syndrome Society.
 
Campaigns she has worked on have earned 39 Cannes Lions, as well as honours from The One
Show, D&AD and the Clio Awards.
 
Fun fact: Glossyinc.com was once Rick-rolled.

Joël Auchu
executive creative director
REF

Joël leads the creative teams at REF, LG2's digital agency, where he leads user-driven, content-first experiences for retailers and consumer brands. His recent work spans digital ecosystems for Bell, Dime, Hydro-Quebec, Schweppes, Zellers, the Royal Canadian Mint, and norda. He believes that in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape, a brand's ability to show up with consistency, intention, and a genuine point of view is more decisive than ever, and he brings that lens to everything he evaluates.

Alyssa Belova
managing partner
Thinkingbox

Alyssa Belova is a seasoned production and operations leader with over 20 years of experience spanning digital, 360, and experiential production. She has driven complex, multi-platform work for some of the world's most recognizable brands, including AMEX, Adobe, Riot Games, Intuit, and The Keg, bringing executional rigour and creative ambition in equal measure. A trusted voice at the intersection of creativity and craft, Alyssa is known for building high-performing teams and bringing ambitious digital ideas to life at scale.

Vassilis Douros
head of digital and media strategy
Telus

Vassilis Douros is a senior marketing, media, and digital strategy leader with experience across retail, aviation, and telecommunications. He currently leads Digital and Media Strategy for TELUS Consumer Solutions, supporting the TELUS, Koodo, and Public Mobile brands.

He is also the co-host of The Sleeping Barber Podcast with Marc Binkley where he explores the ideas shaping brand growth, creativity, media, leadership, and marketing effectiveness.

Vassilis regularly speaks on modern media strategy, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, marketing effectiveness, and building high-performing teams.

Matt Fraracci
executive Creative Director
Sid Lee

In 1908 beloved children’s author Beatrix Potter met with her editor to discuss a draft of THE ADVENTURES OF PETER RABBIT featuring a character named Squeaky Keith – a grave-robbing hedgehog addicted to laudanum. Potter’s editor thought Squeaky would scare young readers and wanted him cut from the story. Taking a Boer War-era bayonet from her purse, Potter said, ‘If anyone’s getting cut today, it’s you.’ She was escorted from the building in a headlock by the Pinkertons. And that’s the difference between beloved children’s author Beatrix Potter and Creative Director Matt Fraracci: Matt Fraracci doesn’t get upset when people want revisions.

Ruth Goudie
president and Partner
1Milk2Sugars

Ruth Goudie is President and Partner at 1Milk2Sugars, where she focuses on scaling both brands and the business through strategic growth, operational rigour, and modern communications thinking.

With almost 20 years of experience across beauty, marketing, and PR, Ruth has built her career on one thing: making strategy actually happen. Since joining 1Milk2Sugars, she has helped triple revenue, expand into new markets, and evolve the agency into a culture-driven, North American player.

She’s known for her pragmatic, results-oriented approach—bringing structure to fast-moving environments and building systems that support both creativity and performance. Just as important, she’s deeply invested in people, fostering a culture that is collaborative, accountable, and built to last.

Her perspective is simple: growth isn’t accidental—it’s operationalized.

Matt Hassell
CCO, global SVP, creative and creative technologies
Rebl House

Matt Hassell is the Chief Creative Officer and Global SVP, Creative and Creative Technologies at Rebl House by NP Digital, where they build systems that integrate AI into global brand marketing. A creative leader who has worked across digital, film, experiential, and CRM, Matt has a proven track record of helping agencies evolve while contributing to multiple Agency of the Year honors. While their work has been recognized by the industry’s top award shows, including Cannes Lions, Clios, and the Effies, Matt’s focus remains anchored in the fundamentals of storytelling and craft. Their day-to-day work centers on mentoring teams, keeping big ideas at the heart of every project, and helping clients navigate the practical future of machine intelligence and human creativity

James Kawalecki
VP, marketing
Boston Pizza

Frédérick Lecoq
Chief digital and marketing officer
La Maison Simons Inc

Frédérick Lecoq is a modern marketer in the truest sense, someone who has never been content to follow the wave, but to ride it early, shape it, and move on to the next one before others have caught up.

Over more than two decades and across three continents, he has consistently
been at the frontier of what marketing can do, from pioneering digital transformation in retail when most brands were still debating its relevance, to today actively exploring how AI is reshaping brand strategy, customer experience and commerce at scale.

Today, he serves as SVP and Chief Digital Development & Unified Commerce Officer at Simons - Canada's oldest privately owned fashion retailer and one of its most distinctive brand stories. In this role, he leads the digital and marketing evolution of an institution that balances 180 years of heritage with a genuinely forward-looking retail vision.

Before Simons, Frédérick served as CMO for the Sporting Life Group, driving the turnaround of Golf Town and supporting Sporting Life's national expansion. Prior to that, as SVP Marketing for FGL Sports and Mark's within the Canadian Tire family, he led award-winning programs, piloting Facebook’s and one of Canada's first large-scale digital flyer initiatives that set a new bar for what modern retail marketing could look like.

His international career spans Nokia's brand expansion into new markets, Microsoft's OEM marketing across Southern Europe, and LG's digital and brand strategy in Seoul. He holds a Master's degree from Neoma Business School in France

Nicole Murray
VP, marketing
Kruger Products

Nicole Murray is Vice President of Marketing at Kruger Products, where she leads brand strategy for some of Canada’s most recognized household tissue brands, including Cashmere®, Purex®, SpongeTowels® and Scotties®.

A senior marketing leader with deep CPG and retail experience, Nicole has built her career across iconic brands at Smucker, J&J, Wrigley, Canadian Tire and Coca-Cola.

She brings a holistic approach to brand building, with experience spanning marketing, sales, category management, innovation, communications and DEI. Nicole has a proven track record of leading data-led shifts in digital media and creating omnichannel brand experiences that build stronger consumer connections and ensure measurable business impact. As a judge, she brings a balanced lens to the work, looking for ideas that are strategically sharp, creatively distinctive, culturally and contextually relevant, and commercially meaningful.

Marilou Aubin
partner, executive creative director
Courage

Marilou is known for her rare ability to think creativity, strategy, and business all at once. She’s a recognized creative leader with over 20 years of experience building bold, effective work that shifts perceptions and grows business for brands like Tourisme Montréal, National Bank, Bell, Molson, and Hydro-Québec. She was the first woman to chair the jury of the Idéa Awards in Québec and has served on numerous juries, including the Marketing Awards, Clio Awards, Cannes Lions, and ADC Awards. 

Nicolas Baldovini
partner, chief creative officer
LG2

Nicolas Baldovini is Partner and Chief Creative Officer at LG2, the biggest independent agency in Canada. An interaction designer by training, he leads multidisciplinary creative teams ( across advertising, branding, digital, architecture, experiential design and technology. He has worked on major national and international projects for brands such as Bell, Hydro-Québec, Google, SNCF, Adidas, TAG Heuer, Tesla and L’Oréal. Nicolas has also served on several awards ceremonies as OneShow, ADC, Webbys, IDEAS, Marketing Awards.

Bjorn Bruschke
VP, marketing
TD

Björn Bruschke is Vice President – Marketing at TD Bank Group, where he leads the General Insurance integrated marketing planning function.

With over 15 years in financial services, Björn has held senior leadership roles across TD and Desjardins, including positions spanning Property & Casualty Insurance, Life & Health, and Wealth. He is known for translating strategy into execution, leading large-scale marketing transformations, managing multi-million-dollar investments, and delivering measurable business outcomes.

Björn has led large national teams of marketers, built high-performing organizations, and played a key role in one of Canada’s largest insurance brand transitions. He brings a pragmatic, results-oriented approach, combining brand-building with performance marketing to drive sustained growth.

Anthony Chelvanathan
global creative partner, CCO
Edelman

In his role co-leading Edelman’s global creative output, Anthony drives innovation and impact across more than 60 offices in lockstep with Judy John. Since joining, he has helped Edelman Canada make history as the country’s first PR agency to win both a Gold Lion at Cannes and a Yellow Pencil at D&AD. In fact, his lengthy track record at the world’s most celebrated award shows has made him a highly sought-after jury member; this year, he will chair the inaugural Democracy & Human Rights category at the London International Awards.

Anthony possesses the rare ability to translate creative thinking into business results, proving it on numerous occasions for top-tier brands, like IKEA, Unilever, PepsiCo and TD. He believes impact is the best measure of an idea and insists on calling clients “partners”, which is probably why he was named 2026’s Creative Visionary by Asians in Advertising. 

Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
chief creative officer
FCB

Industry leader Nancy Crimi-Lamanna is currently the Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Canada formerly FCB Canada. Named by Adweek as one of Toronto’s Brand Stars shaping the city into the creative hub it is today and a Campaign US 40 over 40, Nancy helped lead the creative resurgence of FCB, elevating its position to North American Network of the Year at the Cannes Lions for seven consecutive years. Her work has been presented to the UN twice and she also has the distinction of bringing home Canada’s first Integrated, Commerce, Strategy and Creative Data Cannes Lions. 

Innovation and disruption are at the core of Nancy’s creative vision, helping put the first bank branch on Twitch for BMO, turning TikTok food trends into shopping baskets, creating the world’s first wearable lottery ticket, retraining Google’s voice algorithm to understand atypical speech, and bringing the first iconic number in sports to the Down syndrome community with adidas. This thinking helped make the agency Canada Digital Agency of the Year seven times and the most-awarded Canadian agency in Creative Commerce at Cannes. All her work stems from one defining philosophy, “Leap and a net will appear.”

Beyond creating iconic campaigns, Nancy is an industry thought leader: She's served on several international juries including Jury presidencies at the Cannes Lions, Clios and D&AD as well as volunteering her time for industry panels, being on the ADCC advisory board and school advisory boards for advertising students in Canada.

Lukasz Dolowy
VP, consumer marketing & sponsorships
Mastercard

Lukasz Dolowy is a seasoned marketing and advertising leader with deep experience driving integrated brand and business growth across global and local brands. He currently serves as Vice President, Consumer Marketing & Sponsorships at Mastercard Canada, where he leads national brand campaigns, oversees paid media strategy, and manages the company’s sponsorship portfolio. Known for his strategic mindset and collaborative approach, Lukasz has a strong track record of building impactful partnerships and delivering marketing programs that connect with consumers and drive measurable results.

Tanbir Grover
former CMDO
Independent

Tanbir Grover is the former Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Pet Valu, having responsibility of the Company’s omni-channel marketing, e-commerce and marketing analytics, including the Company’s loyalty program. Prior to Pet Valu, Mr. Grover served as Vice President, Digital at the Co-operators Group Limited from January 2020 to November 2020. Prior to that, he held a number of different roles at Lowe’s Canada from 2011 to 2020 where he most recently served as Vice President of e-commerce and Omnichannel. Mr. Grover also held senior digital and marketing positions at the Hudson’s Bay Company and Sears Canada. Mr. Grover earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Not for Profit Directors Education Program at the Institute of Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto.

Peter Ignazi
creative chairman
Diamond

Peter is one of the most successful creative directors in Canada. Under his leadership, his previous agency Cossette was named Canadian "Agency of the Year" by Strategy Magazine in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He brought the same honour to BBDO in 2011. In both cases, firsts for the agencies. For 2019 and 2020 he was the number one creative director in Canada on the Strategy Magazine Creative Report Card.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Peter has a B.Sc. in Chemistry from McMaster University as well as an MBA from McGill University. After failed attempts at being a research chemist and an account executive, Peter finally found that he could somehow earn a living as a copywriter. He has been gainfully employed as a copywriter and Creative Director in Toronto and New York for such agencies as TAXI, McCann, and Downtown Partners DDB.

In 2022, Peter brought his skills to Diamond when he became their first Chief Creative Officer. He oversaw the creative in areas from brand to influencer to experiential and beyond on accounts such as TD Bank, Post Cereals, Accor and Pizza Hut. He now has stepped into the role of Creative Chairman.

Active in the industry and his community, Peter is on the Institute of Canadian Advertising Creative Council as well as on the board of Heritage Toronto.

Erin Kawalecki
co-founder, chief creative officer
Angry Butterfly

Erin is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Angry Butterfly in Toronto. She feels incredibly lucky to work alongside so many talented, curious, and kind people every day, and the last few years helping build an agency have been the most rewarding and challenging of her 20-year career.

Her work has been awarded by every major national and international show for creativity and effectiveness, and she's had the privilege of judging many of them, like Cannes, Clios, The One Show, Marketing, and LIA, among others. Most recently, she was runner-up in her children’s Best Parent of the Year category.  

Michelle Ramos
senior marketing director, global brands & flavour
Molson Coors

Michelle Ramos is the Senior Director of Global & Flavour Brands at Molson Coors, where she has spent the past 11 years leading brand growth, innovation, and breakthrough marketing initiatives. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, she has helped bring to life award-winning campaigns and product launches, including Coors Light’s Super Bowl Case of the Mondays campaign, the recent Coors Light x Toronto Tempo Tall Girl Can collaboration, and the successful launch of Coors Seltzer Slushie in Canada. Michelle is passionate about building culturally relevant brands that drive both consumer engagement and business results.

Alexis Bronstorph
CCO
No Fixed Address

Over the last 20 years, Alexis has shaped campaigns for some of the world’s most ambitious brands, consistently finding that sweet spot between effectiveness and originality. She brings a clear-eyed intensity to the craft, balanced by the kind of wit that reminds you advertising is supposed to be fun. As Chief Creative Officer at No Fixed Address, she helps steer an agency built on the belief that creativity shouldn’t be confined by geography, convention, or category. The result is work that’s as strategically sharp as it is culturally resonant.Her work has been recognized at all the major international festivals, but more importantly, it’s earned attention where it counts.In the real world, with real audiences.

Caroline Burke
country leader
P&G Beauty

A strategic beauty executive with a passion for data-driven consumer insights, Caroline leads P&G’s portfolio of beauty brands in Canada, identifying growth opportunities and emerging trends to drive brand success. A key catalyst behind the transformation of P&G’s personal care segment in Canada, she has been instrumental in elevating the understanding of how to win with underserved groups of Canadian consumers. At P&G Caroline applies her deep expertise in brand management, shopper marketing, business and communication planning, and product and commercial innovation to drive brand success. As a trusted mentor, Caroline is committed to fostering talent and guiding the next generation of marketing leaders.

Ari Elkouby
CCO
Dentsu

Ari brings over 25 years of innovative, media-agnostic creative problem solving and storytelling to Dentsu. He revels in building high functioning teams that deliver creative excellence to clients across the customer journey, the country and the globe.

He brings a wealth of experience in virtually every business sector from his time spent at Taxi, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Proximity, FCB, Fallon Worldwide and most recently a tenure at VML.
 
His work has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, and ranked amongst the most Contageous campaigns of the year. Garnering accolades including Cannes Lions, Webby Awards, One Show pencils and Clio Awards.
 
Ari is actively involved in the advertising community judging award shows including Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, The Marketing Awards, The Webby’s and The Young Lions Competition. He also sits on the board of White Ribbon, an advocacy group to end gender based violence.

D'Arcy Finley
VP, brand and growth marketing
Maple Leaf Foods

Adrian Fuoco
CMO
Pizza Pizza

Since 2019, Adrian has served as Head of Marketing for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 in
Canada and PZA Pizzeria in Mexico. In his role, Adrian is accountable for brand
strategies, omnichannel marketing planning, communications, food innovation and
menu strategy. Adrian believes great brands lead with creativity and bold ideas, backed by strategy and the courage to fail (sometimes).

At Pizza Pizza, Adrian has worked to bring renewed purpose through a new brand
strategy and investments in community, diversity, and food waste reduction. Launched in 2022, the supporting “Everyone Deserves Pizza” campaign platform has driven interest, relevance and record sales while delivering award-winning programs such as the Fixed Rate Pizza, Valentine’s Day Singles for Singles, The Dip Roller, and NHL/NBAScore a Slice.

Prior to Pizza Pizza, Adrian was at Boston Pizza and Canadian Tire, honing his
marketing skills in both the food service industry and hard goods retail. In 12 years at Canadian Tire, Adrian was instrumental in leading category marketing plans, launching the JumpStart brand and later the “Canada's Store” campaign, with supporting “Canadian Tire Guy” spokesman. During his five years at Boston Pizza, Adrian helped refocus the brand on pizza, family dining, sports and miniature patio chairs.

Personal: Lives in Toronto with his wife, two girls and cat

Education: Western University, Kellogg School of Management CMO

Jack Latulippe
CCO
Havas

Jack is currently Chief Creative Officer at Havas Creative Canada and is a Creative Leader with Global Experience. His holistic approach has helped redefine his clients’ stories in meaningful ways. He has been having fun at some of the most important agencies in North America, including Lg2, Sid Lee, Anomaly, and No Fixed Address. In these agencies, he honed his craft on international campaigns for Cirque du Soleil, Bombardier Recreational Products (Can Am, Spyder, Seadoo, Skidoo), Labatt (Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden), Virgin Radio, Converse, Nike, Adidas, and Hershey’s. Jack is also a co-author of a successful cookbook.

Todd Mackie
parter, CCO
Broken Heart Love Affair

Todd Mackie is Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Broken Heart Love Affair, which he co-founded in 2020. Since then, the agency has earned Strategy Magazine Small Agency of the Year (Gold) in 2022 and Agency of the Year (Bronze) in 2024.

Widely recognized as one of Canada's leading creative leaders, Todd has consistently ranked among the country's top creatives, including multiple appearances in the top ten of Strategy Magazine's Creative Report Card.

Before founding Broken Heart Love Affair, Todd was Co-Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Toronto, where he spent five years helping lead the agency to significant national and international recognition across a diverse portfolio of clients. During that time, he won the Grand Prix for Canada's most effective campaign twice and helped BBDO top the Cassies Effectiveness Index. Before BBDO, Todd spent a decade at DDB Canada, contributing to four Strategy Agency of the Year Gold wins.

Todd's work has been recognized at every major national and international award show, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Clios, London International Awards, and Communication Arts. His client experience spans some of the world's most recognized brands, including Nike, PepsiCo, Mars, Wrigley, Subaru, Bell, Rogers, Johnson & Johnson, Kruger, and the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum).

Todd has also served as a judge for numerous industry awards, including the Lisbon International Advertising Festival, The Bessies, Applied Arts Awards, Canadian Marketing Association Awards, and The Marketing Awards.

Alanna Nathanson
co-founder & co-CCO
G&G Advertising

Alanna has grown brands in every category while winning a multitude of top industry awards. She’s proud to have helped build G&G, a Division of Acart, into an A-list indie shop, which has won both creative and business accolades, including Top Employer for Young People 5 years in a row, Canada’s Growth 500 for fastest growing companies and Silver Ad Age Agency of the Year. While overseeing meaningful, memorable work that drives success, she has also instructed/mentored at the Miami Ad School, Co-Founded the Mighty Women List, launched a gin company and most impressive, binged all of Netflix. 

Deborah Neff
CMO
Pet Valu

Deborah Neff is Chief Marketing Officer at Pet Valu, Canada's leading specialty retailer
of pet food and pet-related supplies. With 28 years of experience spanning some of
North America's most recognized consumer brands, she has built and transformed
iconic brands at General Mills, Revlon, Sephora, Starbucks, and now Pet Valu.
Throughout her career, Deborah has led brand-building, customer experience, loyalty,
and growth strategies that have strengthened customer relationships and driven
business results. Most notably, she helped define Sephora's Canadian brand identity,
contributing to the company being recognized as Strategy Magazine's Brand of the Year
in 2021.

Today, she is leading the transformation of how Canada's largest specialty pet retailer
connects with pet parents through brand, loyalty, customer experience, CRM, customer
insights, and personalized customer experiences. A passionate advocate for the role
brands play in creating emotional connection and business value, Deborah believes the
most successful brands earn loyalty by delivering meaningful experiences for customers
while driving sustainable growth for the business.

Suzanne Pope
copywriter, educator
Freelance

Rob Sweetman
co-founder, CCO
One23West

Rob is Co-Founder and CCO at ONE23WEST. He helped launch the agency in an East Vancouver garage to address the changing realities of the industry.

Within months, ONE23WEST was featured in The Globe and Mail, and Rob was invited to the Cannes Festival of Creativity to speak on the agency’s unique, modern approach to advertising and design.

As ONE23WEST has grown, its low-overhead, high-talent model has remained. Today, the agency is driven by a senior team across offices in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, serving clients worldwide.

Rob’s work has been recognized internationally across advertising, interactive, and design, earning honours at the One Show, D&AD, Cannes, the Clios, and the Webby Awards. He has been named Canada's top-awarded Art Director three times by Strategy Magazine, and consistently ranks in the top 10 for Creative Direction. Rob has also served on juries for Cannes and Communication Arts, and sits on the advisory board at Capilano University.

Yvonne Ziomecki
Chief customer, brand & advice officer
HomEquity Bank