Any swami worth his salt will tell you that there are many paths to enlightenment. In Everyone's a Guru, we'll share insights from both industry experts and lesser-known luminaries about how to succeed in advertising and marketing.
Our first set of interviews surveys participants at the 2007 Cannes Lions. We've got plenty of interesting names lined up, but we're looking for your input too.
Among your mentors, peers and associates, who most inspires you and why? Who makes you proud to be a marketing and advertising pro? Nominate a guru and, if your entry is selected, we'll arrange and publish an interview with him or her here. You can even conduct the interview yourself, if you like!
Gurus don't have to be award-winning creative directors or high-profile media veeps (although, of course, we're more than happy to include them). Maybe there's a junior person in your office who's brilliant with numbers. An account exec who spends her spare time promoting adult literacy. A project manager who always seems to get the best out his team. Gurus come in all shapes and sizes--and they all have wisdom that's worth sharing.
Got someone in mind? Click on the button below and complete our short Submit a Guru form.
Mike joined NABS Canada as the president & C.E.O. in May 2002. This role encompasses strategic leadership, fundraising, program management and working with the volunteer board of National directors, Regional chapters and various committees on all NABS service offerings. .jpg)
Mary Kreuk is Vice-President of Marketing for CTV Inc. She is responsible for all customer/trade initiatives, strategy, and execution for CTV Inc. .jpg)
In her current role, Ms. Tomovich is responsible for managing all brand marketing initiatives in Canada, including directing the brand’s award-winning Priceless™ advertising campaign. She also leads the MasterCard Canada sponsorship strategy, consumer promotions, media advertising investment strategy, digital marketing, brand insights and research, and agency operations management..jpg)
Samba Days, Canada’s leader in gift experiences, offers themed experiential packages with dozens of activites to explore, from action and adventure to learning and rejuvenation. Alex has forged partnerships with Aeroplan, Visa, Expedia and the Hudson’s Bay Company to create memorable gift experiences. Previously, Alex was the head of Brand at Aeroplan where he developed the "Rewarding Life" positioning and created Arrival Magazine from ideation to launch. Prior to Aeroplan, he was the Global Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy for MDS Inc., and was the Director of Marketing at Royal LePage during their IPO. Alex holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of London, U.K., a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, and is a Certified Management Consultant. He currently teaches Brand Management at Seneca College.
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Beyond her 25 years experience, Judy brings a razor sharp mind and a desert dry wit to her job. At BBDO/OMD, where she was Vice President, Media Director, she had overall responsibility for accounts including Bell Canada, CIBC and CP Hotels and managed a media-buying budget of more than $200 million per year.
As Vice President, Marketing, Mr. Fougere is responsible for developing and managing the execution of Fusepoint’s go-to-market strategy. In addition, to owning all facets of marketing, Mr. Fougere is also accountable for product management; manages the pre-sales support function; and plays an integral role in planning and managing the company’s growing channel program. With 24 years of progressive experience in technology-related industries, Mr. Fougere has had a balanced mix of technical, sales, marketing and senior management roles at Queen’s Park Computing Centre, Xerox Canada, Kodak Canada, Konica Office Imaging, and RAND Worldwide. .jpg)
Laurene is a career direct marketer, with 20 years of hands-on experience helping marketers acquire and retain customers, build CRM methodologies and determine their channel choices. She has held executive roles in Canada’s best-in-class direct marketing advertising agencies Blitz Direct, Data & Promotion, MacLaren McCann Direct and Vickers & Benson Direct, where she developed industry-leading programs for marketers like Bell Canada, Bank of Montreal, General Motors of Canada, Rogers (Cantel) and Shoppers Drug Mart..jpg)
Mathew Ingram is The Globe and Mail’s Communities Editor and a leading expert on social media. His journalism career includes work with for the London Free Press, Alberta Report and the Financial Times and in his career with The Globe he has covered the stock market, business, and technology. He is a co-founder of mesh, the leading Canadian Web conference, which is holding its first .jpg)
Ken Wong is a faculty member and the .jpg)
Dustin Rideout is the Director of Marketing for I Love Rewards, the leader in results-driven rewards and recognition solutions. I Love Rewards has developed innovative web-based programs for top employers in North America, delivering sustainable and highly measurable employee and sales incentive programs. Prior to joining I Love Rewards, Dustin held various digitally-focused posts both on the agency and client side, most recently at Wunderman and Research In Motion. Dustin has been privileged to work on digital strategy for such notable companies as Microsoft, MSN, Rogers, Kraft, Nokia, BP, and RIM.
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Eric Pierni is the senior marketing manager for Kijiji Canada and responsible for overseeing the company's advertising sales. As a member of the original team that launched Kijiji Canada Classifieds in 2005, Pierni played an integral role in developing and driving the website’s original online marketing strategy, including all of Kijiji’s Internet and offline marketing campaigns. He has also been involved in Kijiji’s community building and product development activities.Pierni joined the eBay group of companies in 2002 to help solidify eBay Canada’s position as the leading e-commerce destination in Canada. Previously, he worked at Mamma.com Inc, an online search technology company, where he helped drive the company’s business results by servicing the business development team.Pierni is a graduate from Concordia University where he earned a B. Comm. in Marketing.
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As senior marketing manager for CA, the world's leading independent IT management software company, Regan drives the Canadian marketing strategy in direct support of CA’s corporate goals and sales objectives. She is responsible for implementing integrated marketing programs to increase market awareness of CA’s key solutions and to support the revenue goals of the company. Regan is responsible for public relations as well. 
