2020 Jury

Matthew Kohler
VP, Marketing
Clorox

Matt Kohler is Vice President, Marketing at the Clorox Company of Canada.  He oversees all Canadian marketing activity for the company. 

With its corporate mission of “making everyday life better, every day,” Clorox products can be found in 88% of Canadian homes.  In addition to its namesake bleach, Clorox sells market-leading brands such as Glad, Brita, Burt’s Bees, Renew Life, Pine-Sol, Green Works, Kingsford, Hidden Valley Ranch, and many more. 

Prior to Clorox, Kohler worked in Europe and the United States, conducting market research with companies such as Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson.  He was also Vice President of Marketing at Green Dot Corporation, a consumer/technology startup, from its growth stage through IPO in 2010. 

In addition to his work at Clorox, he serves on several boards.  He is currently Vice Chair of Cosmetics Alliance Canada, a trade association representing the voice of Canada’s personal care products industry.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the “Look Good Feel Better Foundation,” a non-profit that helps women deal with the psycho-social challenges of cancer. 

Kohler holds a BA from American University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.  He lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

Valya Kruk
Chief Strategy Officer
Tank Worldwide, part of Grey Group

As Chief Strategy Officer of TANK Worldwide, Valya developed the ultra-collaborative ThinkTANK planning process that has fueled exponential growth and success for clients and their brands. With over fifteen years of proven client partnerships across industries and continents, the finely honed process elevates Creative Intelligence and fosters agile, cross-functional alignment to build better businesses, brands, and teams. Today TANK is recognized as one of WPP’s fastest growing agencies, and Valya oversees planning teams across time zones.

Recognized for the accuracy of her insights, 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. An MBA in marketing and degrees in Psychology and Communications are the foundation of Valya’s 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.