September 2025 President's Note

Happy September,

As the sun rose a bit later on my run, and our social feeds fill up with back-to-school photos, it’s clear the unofficial second new year is here. I hope you enjoyed summer and you’re gearing up for a strong final quarter of 2025.

In keeping with the back-to-school theme, professional development and a learning mindset are mission critical to success in marketing, especially as our profession experiences tectonic shifts.

On that note, our Chartered Marketer (CM) courses are now offered on-demand and as standalone courses. So, if you want to build specific skills, or explore the program before committing fully, you can now register for individual courses. Our CM courses also provide important learning on AI. In addition to embedding AI across our curriculum, we offer an AI elective course.

Our Digital Marketing Skills Canada program is an exclusive opportunity for senior marketers in eligible innovative sectors to receive 100% funding to earn their CM designation.

The fall Semester for our Digital Analytics and Digital Marketing Strategy certificate courses starts September 15.

As an added bonus, members benefit from savings of 50% across our CMA professional development offering. Plus, you can save an additional 15% if you register by Friday.

The CMA’s robust thought leadership is another powerful way we help futureproof the profession and make it easier for you to learn and stay current. We continue to expand our AI thought leadership, with the release of our 20th weekly AI Playbook. You can learn more about mastering AI in marketing, and access the series here.

I’m excited to share that our new CMA Mentorship program launches September 15. The program is complimentary for members and provides an outstanding opportunity for our community to learn and grow together.

We also launched our CMA CEO AIM Advisory Board this summer. This group of 18 rising stars from across our network are advising me to help ensure we deliver on the needs of our younger members. I left our kickoff session inspired and confident that the future of marketing is in very good hands.

Marketing has never been more critical to Canada's economic success, and we continue to actively advocate so marketers and businesses can thrive through uncertain times. To that end, the focus of the CMA’s 2026 pre-budget submission is about strengthening Canada’s workforce through strategic investments in marketing and AI skills.

One of my favourite parts of fall is the opportunity to come together with our amazing community. I’m looking forward hosting a CM + CEO lunch, along with a virtual session, this Thursday.

Our next opportunity to come together is CMA Media Evolution on September 16. We will explore the growing significance of media in marketing and hear from industry leaders shaping the future of media, research and adtech. We’re also hosting a social the evening before.

The CMA Awards gala is a highlight every fall and tickets officially go on sale today.

You also have until Friday to submit nominees for our CMA Premiere Awards. These are free to enter and include our 2025 Marketer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award and AIM Award.

September is off to a wonderful start, and I would love to see you at our upcoming events. I also welcome the opportunity to meet one-to-one Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to chat.

Warmly, Alison
President & CEO