March 2023 President’s Note

I hope March is off to a great start and you’re looking forward to celebrating International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

This year’s theme #embraceequity focuses on why gender equity needs to be part of every organization's DNA. We started the celebration last week with a capacity crowd at the CMA Women in Business: Resilience through Community Event , presented by Captivate. As the first female President & CEO for the CMA, the theme personally resonates. I wouldn’t be here without support and encouragement from mentors and allies throughout my career and the commitment of our Board to diversity, equity and inclusion.

I’m thrilled to kick-off the month by announcing our 2023 CMA Awards Co-Chairs: Sandra Sanderson, SVP Marketing at Sobeys and a recipient of the 2020 CMA Marketer of the Year Award, and Sabaa Quao, Chief Creative Officer at Cossette. They bring diverse expertise, strong track records for delivering business results through innovation and creativity, and international experience to their Co-Chair roles and I’m excited to partner with them.

I’m also excited to announce that we have created a new CMA Award and added a marketing discipline to all award categories.

• Our profession has many young marketers who are making strong contributions and an important impact on brands and businesses. So, we’ve created the CMA AIM (Achievement in Marketing) Award to celebrate a young Canadian who is on track to becoming a marketing leader and perhaps, down the road, a winner of the CMA Lifetime Achievement Award.

• In recognition of the important role public relations has within marketing, we are adding public relations to all award categories as a marketing discipline. The public relations discipline will stand alongside brand building, business impact, customer experience, engagement and innovative media.

As I wrap up my third month with the CMA, feedback and learning from our members has been invaluable. I want to ensure that each of you has a voice, so we can evolve the association together in ways that will create the most value for all of you. Our member survey will be closing on March 8. Please invest 10-15 minutes to participate and be heard. Your voice will help make our profession stronger. Thank you.

With spring approaching, the CMA is offering many ways for marketers to learn and expand their expertise. Our new term for the Chartered Marketer Program is open for registration and we also have a number of training and educational events this month that provide learning opportunities for marketers at every career stage.

As I shared in my February note, the Association’s crucial role in advocating for the marketing profession is an important focus. We had a series of successful meetings in Ottawa advocating with Conservative and NDP MPs for the proposed Consumer Privacy Protection Act (in Bill C-27) to advance through Parliament. Several CMA Members joined us for the in-person meetings, sending a powerful signal of the importance our profession places on the need for a modernized privacy law.

We also met with the Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office, and I contributed this op ed to The Hill Times. I’m pleased to share that Bill C-27 is now scheduled to complete second reading this week.

I’m thrilled to be leading the CMA and committed to ensuring the Association is as dynamic, diverse and engaging as the vital profession that it represents.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to chat.

Warm regards,

Alison Simpson
President & CEO