Graham is CEO of Mediabrands Canada and within this role is responsible for setting the strategic vision for the Canadian market, ensuring the highest standard of client service and strengthening existing client relationships while creating opportunities for new ones. Known for blending deep industry insight with critical focus, Graham’s career spans over 20 years, including leading international markets for Verizon Media Services, along with leadership positions at Canwest and Bell Canada – all of which were marked by notable business growth. As a former Director of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and board member of We.org, Graham is a frequent thought leadership contributor to M&M Global and has sat on the panel of several Canadian media industry awards. 

Throughout her career, Shelley has loved working within the media space. She is truly passionate about driving positive outcomes for her clients and seeing the impact of strong integrated strategy, creative thinking and executional excellence on client business growth. Shelley first joined UM in 2008 to head J3, the bespoke Johnson & Johnson agency team. A year later, she was instrumental in the launch of the UM Canada office, where she has been President ever since. Today, she is leading UM to help clients futureproof their businesses by leveraging the transformational power of rich business analytics and real time intelligence to maximize growth. Prior to UM, Shelley held numerous positions at AB InBev including Director of Product Innovation, Media & Sponsorships for North America as well as Global Media Director for several years. Shelley’s varied experience spanning brand stewardship, integrated marketing, creative strategy and team leadership have led to countless awards on the local and international stage.

Helen is CEO of Initiative, and as such, leads a growing Canadian team to deliver on the promise of helping brands take the initiative in culture. Applying her expertise as a former client, Helen values diverse skill sets. This has inspired her to build a team of passionate experts with diverse backgrounds in marketing, media, tech, experiential and sales. As a dedicated leader, Helen is personally involved and invested in helping clients navigate the new media landscape through cultural connections that drive meaningful business outcomes. Under her leadership, Initiative was named Strategy’s 2019 Media Agency of the Year. More accolades followed later that same year, when Helen was awarded Media Leader of the Year. 

Robert is CEO of Media Experts, and the driving force in the agency’s evolution as a data-savvy and solutions-driven entity. As a recognized leader in the Canadian media landscape, Robert’s proven ability to marry client needs with agency offerings has resulted in building stronger brands while bringing clients into the next frontier of media. Robert’s nearly three decades of experience on both vendor and agency sides has propelled the digital agenda for Excite Canada, Standard Interactive, Microsoft and The Globe and Mail. He is currently a board member of Vividata, contributes regularly to Media in Canada and has sat on the jury panel of several international media industry awards. 

Matt is President of Reprise Canada, the global performance marketing agency of Mediabrands. Under his leadership, Matt has built a market leading performance team with deep expertise in digital crafts, unifying search, social media, SEO, eCommerce, content, analytics and strategy. Matt is focused on providing strategic counsel to help brands build and accelerate the Flow of customers along their path to purchase. He also oversees strategic partnership elements with some of the largest digital advertising platforms in the market including Facebook, Google and Amazon. 

Matt brings close to 20 years’ experience in media, digital marketing and industry thought leadership, having held various agency, ad tech consulting and client-side roles, notably leading the Connections team at AB InBev in Canada. 

Emily is a galvanizing leader and relationship builder who people love to work with and for; she possesses a resourceful yet highly commercial mindset that thrives in a collaborative environment. With a results-driven approach to business while consistently championing innovation, Emily has a knack for delivering unparalleled client experiences. She is responsible for leading the vision of Orion Canada to its next phase of evolution, both organically and expanding into new areas of expertise. Prior to joining Orion Canada in August 2019, Emily was VP, Partnerships at Mediabrands’ sister agency, Initiative. She has worked closely with many iconic brands over the course of her career including Canadian Tire, Amazon, Cirque du Soleil, Red Bull, IMAX, Joe Fresh, Pfizer, Under Armour, Volkswagen and Audi. Her affinity for innovation has been recognized through numerous industry award wins and she actively volunteers as a mentor helping to shape the next generation of marketers.   

Together with her team, Cynthia delivers best-in-class content focusing on branded content opportunities and experiences, digital content that drives performance and engagement, as well as brand-led long- and short-form original content. A media industry veteran, she has over fifteen years of experience working across connection planning, performance marketing, and content creation for some of Canada’s biggest brands. Cynthia is a passionate leader who contributes to the industry through round tables, speaking engagements, industry publications, and her work as a CMA council member.

Leanne is President of MAGNA Canada. Since joining MAGNA Canada in April 2020, as VP, Investments, Leanne has brought extensive value to our investment practice, creating, negotiating, and implementing partnerships. Before joining Mediabrands, she held senior investments roles at Dentsu and Publicis in Canada.

Brad is President, Business Operations & Transformations, Mediabrands. He brings to the table over 20 years of Marketing and Sales experience through leading insights, business analysis, strategic and operational planning, as well as business process development on both agency and client sides of the industry. Joining Mediabrands in 2015 as Managing Director of  MAGNA in Canada, Brad led teams responsible for media partnerships, insights, marketing and communications, and media operations supporting all of Mediabrands Canada.  Prior to joining MAGNA, Brad held various North American Insights leadership positions at AMG (Acosta Mosaic Group), an agency group focused on experiential and retail/shopper marketing.  Prior to AMG, he was the Director of Business Insights for Constellation Brands in Canada and the Director of Marketing Intelligence for InBev/Labatt in North America. 

Chris is the Chief Financial Officer of Mediabrands Canada and is responsible for all financial, accounting, legal, IT and general corporate matters. Using his diverse business and financial experience, Chris has lead the design and implementation of unique reporting and internal control frameworks, allowing staff to thrive within a creative and agile environment. As previous CFO of Media Experts, he proved instrumental in quarterbacking several major initiatives including their acquisition by IPG. His business journey began in the accounting firm Ernst & Young and progressed to management positions with NBG Bank, a Canadian subsidiary of the National Bank of Greece S.A., and out-of-home interactive media entertainment company TouchTunes Interactive Networks, where he directed finance, accounting, operations and client service departments. 

Leith is our Chief People Officer, Mediabrands Canada. As the first-ever talent leader hired for the Canadian network, she is responsible for driving our holistic talent strategy and delivering a compelling employee experience – fostering a high-performance culture and globally-leading employee engagement. She also heads the Canadian network’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda and is passionate about building inclusive workplaces where all employees can equally thrive. Throughout her career, Leith’s focus has been on fuelling high-growth and agile organizations through progressive people programs within the creative, media, and technology industries. Leith strives to enrich the employee experience with innovative, people-first solutions and has been previously featured in Think With Google’s Big Thinkers series.