Announcing our Talent Council Members

In June, we announced the creation of our Talent Council, co-chaired by Nardia Ali (Ogilvy) and Mehdi Rahman (Spin Master). The Council will begin meeting next week to focus on its mandate: to develop thought leadership, tools and best practices to foster exceptional talent, inspire creativity, ensure diversity, and elevate the ability of marketing to transform business.

Talent is one of the most important drivers of marketing success. This has never been more evident than now, in the wake of unprecedented social, political and economic change. As the professional association for Canadian marketers and the voice of marketing in Canada, we are excited to bring together an outstanding group of thought leaders to tackle key questions, like:

• How do we attract the boldest and brightest minds to the marketing profession?
• How do we ensure the diversity required to represent the populations we serve, and take steps to eliminate systemic racism, unconscious bias and other forms of discrimination in a meaningful and impactful way?
• How do we provide pathways to growth for marketers at various stages of their careers and develop marketers into specialized and leadership roles?

As the Talent Council tackles these issues in the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to sharing their recommendations, best practices and insights with the marketing community.

Please join me in welcoming these exceptional individuals to our Talent Council:

• Co-Chair: Nardia Ali | Director, Talent Acquisiion and Engagement | Ogilvy
• Co-Chair: Mehdi Rahman | Director, Global Learning and Development | Spin Master
• Adun Abiodun | Manager, Retail Marketing | Purolator
• Deb Boudreau | Owner | Media Staffing Inc.
• Clinton Braganza | CMO | Scotiabank
• Andrew Gartha | Vice President | Mandrake Human Capital
• Darya Jarmola | HR Director | MiQ Digital
• John Jefkins | VP, Member Engagement and Corporate Partnerships | Electro-Federation Canada
• Roxanna Kassam Kara | National Director, Marketing and Communications | Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada
• Kim Koster | President | Koster Strategy
• Amla Persaud | Manager, Sponsorship Marketing | TD
• Kimberly Presnail | VP, Marketing and Culture | Active International
• Bridget Westerholz | SVP and Managing Director | FUSE Create

Stay tuned for their advice and stay well,

John Wiltshire