2018 Jury

Lori Davison
VP Brand Strategy & Communications
Sick Kids Foundation

Lori Davison joined SickKids Foundation in 2014. As Vice President, Brand Strategy & Communications, Lori leads the strategic vision for SickKids brand communications. Under Lori’s leadership, the Foundation’s in-house team of marketers, content specialists and public relations practitioners develop and execute integrated marketing and communications programs to build brand equity, raise awareness of SickKids’ global leadership and reinforce the need for donor dollars.

Prior to joining SickKids, Lori had roles on the senior management teams of leading advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett and BBDO, where she led brand strategy on several Government of Ontario assignments as well as for some of Canada’s biggest blue chip brands including RBC and TD Bank.

Lori holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Sociology from the University of Western Ontario.

Brent Nelsen
EVP, CSO, North America
Leo Burnett Company Ltd

Brent in his own words is powered by “culture and caffeine.” Under his strategic leadership, love for instigation and inspiration, Leo Burnett Toronto has been recognized globally and nationally, winning at virtually every strategy and creative awards show.

His contributions have received numerous recognitions: Effies, Ogilvy’s, Chiats, Cassies, London International Advertising Awards, Media Innovation Awards, Facebook Awards, ADCs and Cannes to name a few.

Prior to joining Leo Burnett Canada, Brent held the position of SVP Planning Director at DDB Chicago and SVP Planning Director at McCann Erickson World Group in New York.

How Brent works with people, approaches problem solving and thinks creatively was learned through years of training and toil as classical symphony musician.

Chad Borlase
Group Creative Director
Publicis.Sapient

Throughout his 20 years in the advertising business, Chad has applied his passion for storytelling and creative innovation to provoke an emotional connection with consumers. He has launched and worked on brands such as: TD, CIBC, National Bank, BMO, Manulife, Coca-Cola, Honda, Rogers Communications, Fido Wireless, Parmalat, Fiat Chrysler Automotive, Microsoft, and The Toronto Blue Jays. Chad has been recognized for his work from Cannes, Clios, One Show, Strategy, The Marketing Awards, The London International, Lurzer’s Archive, Applied Arts, Bessies, The ADCC, NAAMU and The CMA Awards. He is also Digital Creative lead for Miami Ad School Toronto.

Sarah Crabbe
General Manager
Citizen Relations

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in strategic brand development, consumer marketing, experiential PR and crisis and issues management with a large number of global consumer brands.  

Leading a team of 50+ integrated communicators at Citizen Relations, Toronto, Sarah provides counsel for some of Canada’s leading brands including Loblaws, Molson, Tim Hortons, PepsiCo Foods and Netflix.

Prior to joining Citizen, Sarah led the Canadian consumer marketing team at Edelman, was Country PR manager for EuroRSCG focusing on Diageo’s youth music strategy, was the founder of FleishmanHillard Ireland’s experiential PR division, BrandIgnite and a Director of FH Ireland.

Sarah is passionate about delivering creativity in each engagement and believes in the ‘3C: Connected Collective Consumers’ approach to successful results for her clients.  She believes agencies only do great work when they have truly great clients.

An Irish native, Sarah has lived all over the world including New York and Jamaica and currently lives in Toronto with husband Rob and their two children.

Cory Eisentraut
Executive Creative Director
J. Walter Thompson

For over 18 years, Cory has taken his passion for filmmaking, music and business and translated them into a career in advertising. After more than a decade at independent agency, Cundari creating award-winning campaigns for BMW, the Royal Ontario Museum, Dempster’s and SickKids Hospital, Cory moved to Havas Canada where he lead their creative department and helped lift the agency 72 places on Strategy’s Creative Report Card. Most recently, he has moved to JWT Canada to become their new Executive Creative Director.

Over the course of his career, his work has been recognized at the Clios, Communication Arts, One Show, LIA, as well, he has received four finalists and two Gold Lions at Cannes. Recently he was also awarded World’s Best Omelette by his wife, Kate and their three kids; an honour that he intends to vigorously defend in 2018.

Alison Gordon
CEO
48 North Cannabis Co.

Named one of Canada’s Top 10 Marketers by Marketing magazine, Alison Gordon is celebrated for her unique ability to shift public opinion and consumer behaviour in the right direction.

As a co-founder and EVP at Rethink Breast Cancer for 13 years prior to joining the medical marijuana industry, Gordon is credited with growing awareness of breast cancer among young women ­ a previously untapped demographic.

Over the last four years working in the cannabis industry, Gordon has amassed an immense amount of knowledge, insight and relationships that are critical to success in this new and quick-changing industry. Gordon is bringing a unique approach to her role as CEO of the ACMPR licensed company, 48 North Cannabis Co. (formally named Delshen Therapeutics), and she is rethinking strategies for both medical and recreational markets.

Gordon's competitive advantage is her hands-on experience in production, distribution, retail, extracts, edibles and axillary businesses, across several vastly different markets.

Andrea Hunt
Vice-President- General Manager, North American Biscuits
Weston Bakeries

Andrea Hunt is Vice President Marketing/ CMO at Weston Bakeries.  Andrea joined Weston in 2016 to help reinvigorate the business and lead an ambitious organizational transformation to move the portfolio from supply-driven to consumer-led.

Prior to Weston, Andrea helped drive growth at industry-leading companies including CIBC, Kellogg, Molson, Kraft and Mondelez.  A few of the more iconic brands she has had the privilege of stewarding include Special K, Rice Krispies, Molson Canadian, Coors Light, Kraft Dinner, Oreo, and Wonder.  With work chapters in Europe & the United States and membership in numerous Global Steering & leadership teams, Andrea has helped drive countless new product platforms now enjoyed globally. An energetic and dynamic leader, professional accountabilities have included media, communication, innovation, strategic planning, supply chain reinvention, & commercial leadership.

Andrea has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University, and is earning a Doctorate in ‘Patience’ as taught by her three young boys. When not engaged professionally, Andrea can be seen marathon running or in the hockey stands, and very, very occasionally drinking in the solitude of galleries and finer décor haunts across Canada & the US.

Sassan Jahan
VP Marketing
PepsiCo Beverages Canada

Sassan is the Vice President of Marketing for PepsiCo Beverages Canada. He began his career at PepsiCo 16 years ago as Marketing Manager, Alternative Beverages. Since then Sassan has held a number of marketing positions as well as cross functional roles. These include Market Development Manager for Pepsi Cola Canada, Director of Sales for Pepsi-QTG (Quaker Tropicana and Gatorade) and VP, Field Marketing for Pepsi Bottling Group. Prior to moving to Canada, Sassan gained 6 years of beverage marketing and sales experience in The Middle East. Sassan has lived in 6 different countries, worked in 3. He holds a BA from Boston College and an MSc from The London School of Economics. 

Tom Kenny
VP of Planning
BBDO Canada

Tom is a brand planner, experience designer, and problem solver, but above all a storyteller who has spent the past decade telling stories for some of the biggest brands in Canada and the US. His portfolio has included P&G, Coors Light, PepsiCo, General Motors, and Visa. Over the past 10 years he’s authored over half a dozen blogs covering such varied topics as fashion, technology, music, and advertising. He is also a regular contributor to Strategy Magazine.

Lance Koenig
Chief Strategy Officer
KBS

Lance recently joined KBS as Chief Strategy Officer Canada, responsible for both Toronto and Montreal offices. He relocated from Chicago where he most recently worked at DDB and Leo Burnett before. He’s spent most of his career in Boston leading strategy at MullenLowe’s flagship office, part of a team recognized by multiple AdAge Agency A-list’s, a Grand Effie, and loads of other humbling nods. His resume includes time at Arnold Worldwide, Hill Holliday and Bailey Lauerman.  His work has been recognized at nearly every major creative award show.

He graduated from the University of Nebraska, he loves (maybe lives) to travel (missing just Antarctica and Australia from continental visits); is a complete foodie, amateur beer maker, and a coffee and whiskey lover (though generally not together). He’s owned and flipped six houses, so he’s somewhat an amateur designer and home re-hab’er. And has two Basset Hounds who are the laziest, howliest hounds around.

Valya Kruk
Chief Strategy Officer, Grey Group Canada (GREY and TANK)
Tank

Valya is recognized for the accuracy of her insights and comprehensive experience in brand planning and consumer-oriented marketing. An MBA in marketing and degrees in Psychology and Communications are the foundation of her unique perspective with which she has developed award-winning strategies client-side, agency-side, and as a consultant. Her philosophy has allowed her to work closely with clients’ C-Suite leadership to define the future of their companies beyond pure brand think. At TANK, Valya developed and honed the agency’s ThinkTANK planning process that never fails to surprise, bringing multi-disciplinary teams to identify transformative opportunities.

An expert in branding, relationship marketing and integrated communications, Valya has accumulated significant experience in all areas of communications and across categories. Her specialties include innovation and creativity in business, marketing strategy, consumer-centric planning, digital marketing and loyalty programs. As Chief Strategy Officer at Grey Group, Valya oversees planning teams for both Grey Canada and TANK in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver.

Devon MacDonald
CEO
MindShare Canada

Devon MacDonald currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Mindshare in Canada. Overseeing the Communications Planning and Content teams, Devon helps shape the overall strategic direction across our clients, new business opportunities and the agency. It was recently announced that Devon will be taking over the CEO role for Mindshare Canada this August.

With an extensive background in the media, creative and technology worlds, Devon has worked on a number of high profile brands across virtually every category on a local, North American and Global Scale. He thrives on the challenge of change and loves to learn about new clients, problems and solutions.

Christine Maw
VP, Head of Strategy
TAXI

With 20 years as a strategist, Christine is innately curious about people and what motivates them, and the role of culture in shaping brands in a complex world.

Christine joined Taxi in 2013, and heads-up the strategy team, leading a passionate group of brand builders.

She has a proven track record in helping grow world-class brands, including Audi, Fido, Canadian Tire, Leon’s, Kraft Heinz, Boston Pizza, Koodo, Nissan, Visa, Mars, Bell, Coca-Cola and Pfizer.  She’s worked at a variety of leading agencies, including Cossette, ZiG and TBWA\Toronto.

Never satisfied with the status quo, Christine is the restless type who always doubts conventions to help create the exceptional.

Susan O'Brien
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Canadian Tire Corporation Limited

Susan O’Brien is Senior Vice-President, Marketing, for Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (CTC), and is responsible for all marketing and branding strategies for Canadian Tire Corporation, including Canadian Tire retail, Mark’s, FGL Sports and Financial Services.

Since joining the Company in 2008, Susan has held a number of progressively senior roles. Most recently she served as Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Corporate Affairs; prior to that she was Vice-President of Marketing for Canadian Tire. In this role, she was responsible for the development and execution of marketing and branding strategies for Canadian Tire’s Retail Division.

An experienced marketer and communications professional, Susan has a passion for driving the industry forward to reach new heights. Known for her 360 degree view of campaigns, Susan is an expert in brand reinvention and positioning. Her work at Canadian Tire contributed to the Company’s ‘Marketer of the Year Award’ in 2013 from Marketing Magazine, and in 2002, she was nominated for the magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 award.

Susan holds an MBA in General Management from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from Dalhousie University.

Lynne Piette
Director Marketing
Volkswagen Canada

Lynne is an accomplished, decisive and knowledgeable consumer-centric marketer with over 15 years' experience in automotive marketing, and is currently the Canadian head of Marketing for Volkswagen Canada. She oversees the National Marketing strategy and planning in collaboration with advertising and media agencies outputting award winning work with outstanding achievements including record sales in the past with 8 consecutive years! During her tenure at VW, she was instrumental in creating a culture shift to become a true consumer-centric organization. She also launched and led a successful Corporate Social Responsibility for Volkswagen in Canada. Her in depth knowledge and experience in the auto industry & marketing also includes previous roles at both Honda and General Motors.