Meet Our Judges

Urania Agas
CEO
EssenceMediacom

As CEO of EssenceMediacom Canada, Urania Agas’ focus includes leading the agency’s strategic growth; developing its product and innovation offerings,  fostering a culture of inclusivity across its teams and, most recently, overseeing the merger of EssenceMediacom. With 20+ years of industry experience, and over a decade in progressively senior roles with EssenceMediacom, she has led a host of notable local and global businesses, across numerous sectors – including, travel, finance, CPG, and retail, amongst others. As an industry thought leader, Urania is passionate about emphasizing the importance of compassionate management and initiatives focused on furthering the next generation of women in leadership.

Emma Eriksson
VP of Global Brand
Kellogg Canada Inc

Emma Eriksson is a strategic business leader and innovative marketer with a passion for communication. She has more than 20 years of experience at General Mills and Kellogg, growing brands like Cheerios, Nature Valley, Pringles, Froot Loops, Old El Paso, Vector and Mini Wheats. She’s passionate about putting the consumer at the centre and pushing the envelope to bring joy and solve real world problems. Eriksson has led award-winning campaigns such as Honey Nut Cheerios' “Bring Back the Bees” and been recognized as Marketing Magazine’s Marketer of the Year, Canadian Grocer’s Star Women and Canadian Marketing Association’s ”Best of the Best” among others. One award she’s especially proud of is a gold MIA for content publishing.

Ishma Alexander-Huet
EVP, Client Advice and Management Head of Learning & Culture
Initiative Media Canada

Ishma’s 20 years of media planning experience across continents has made her an expert in consumer culture and motivations. She currently leads two teams of media professionals across a client portfolio that includes RBC Royal Bank, Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada, and LEGO Canada, and has been recognized in the industry for her work on RBC and Wendy’s. In partnership with clients and media partners her teams build media campaigns, develop research and content, and provide analytic solutions to grow brands with cultural velocity. 

As Head of Learning & Culture, Ishma has developed and led agency initiatives such as our custom Craft Velocity and the Initiative Culture Club.  She currently holds volunteer leadership positions as co-chair of the CMA Media Council, co-lead of the work stream on IPG Mediabrands DEI Committee, DEI Advisory Board member for Brunico, and steering committee member with People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing (POCAM).

Solange Bernard
Senior Director, Head of Marketing Communications
Tim Hortons

As Senior Director of Marketing Communications, Solange is responsible for shaping the brand voice and identity for one of Canada’s most iconic brands. Leading a diverse team across Creative, Social, Media, Restaurant, Regional Marketing and Sponsorship she drives creative excellence, digital leadership, and brand reputation for the Canadian market with particular focus on developing purpose-driven brand marketing initiatives, driving innovation and engagement across emerging media platforms. Solange is a passionate leader who unlocks talent potential and has had great success championing agency accountability and transparency.

Before joining Tim Hortons, Solange held various strategy, media, digital and brand marketing roles at Spinmaster, McDonalds, Shaw Communications, Canwest and Alliance Atlantis.

Solange holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph. A passionate member of the Canadian Marketing community, Solange has served as a judge for the CMAs (2022), The Mighty Women Awards (2022), The Effies (2022, 2021), The Festival of Media (2018) and Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec (2015). Solange lives in Toronto with her husband, three daughters and dog, is an avid runner, foodie and Peloton addict.

Erica Cheah
EVP, Media Director
Saatchi & Saatchi

Erica may be rooted in media with over 19 years of experience, but she prides herself in being a creative storyteller that believes in solid data to back up her honed intuition. She believes in pushing forward the idea of what a media professional is capable of and strives to develop the best media teams in Canada. She is not only passionate about the integrated process to great campaigns, but also the technology changes that have moved the advertising industry forward through her career. 

Erica is a true automotive fan, through and through, with 15+ years of experience on multiple national and dealer brands. Additional experience on technology and telecommunications clients has allowed her to extend her knowledge base with consumers experiences in a variety of industries. 

Over her career, Erica has developed and executed insight-driven communication plans that work hand in hand with solid strategy and award winning creative. She is excited to part of the amazing legacy of Saatchi & Saatchi to continue this high level work on behalf of our clients.

Karine Courtemanche
EVP, President of Media Group
Plus Company

Courtemanche joins Plus Company Canada following a prestigious tenure at Omnicom Media Group, where she led the country’s most award-winning media teams, Touché! and PHD. Under her leadership, Touché! was named among the Top 5 creative media agencies in the world by WARC and recognized for numerous agency awards in Cannes, New York, Rome, London, Toronto, and Montreal.

“Courtemanche has a proven track record of excellence managing multiple agencies,
respecting what makes each brand unique and drawing on mutual strengths. She also has a contagious passion for the work, and firmly believes in the power of creativity and innovation.” says Melanie Dunn, President, Plus Company Canada. “Courtemanche’s extensive experience of the media industry, her love for creativity and a great sense of collaboration made for an ideal fit. With the support of all our agency leaders, Karine and I are eager to explore what this team will unlock.”

Irene Daley
VP Marketing
Canadian Tire Corporation

Irene Daley is the Vice President of Canadian Tire Marketing at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). In this role, Irene leads brand strategy and full-funnel marketing campaigns for the company’s Canadian Tire Retail, Pro Hockey Life, and Party City banners, as well as Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. She oversees a best-in-class team of marketers who leverage customer data and insights to drive deeper brand trust and loyalty to further the iconic Canadian retailer’s continued growth and modernization.

Before being named Vice President in 2022, Irene was the Associate Vice-President, Strategic Marketing, a role she had held since joining CTC in 2016. In this position, Irene led the evolution of many of Canadian Tire’s most iconic campaigns, including Canada’s Store, Canada’s Garage, Tested for Life in Canada, and We All Play for Canada, Canadian Tire’s Olympic and Paralympic campaign. Irene is a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive leader who champions her team and unleashes their strategic creativity with incredible results, evidenced by her team’s reimagining of Canada’s Store and Tested for Life in Canada, which have been highly recognized and awarded, including multiple wins at the Effies, Cassies, and Canadian Marketing Awards. Before joining CTC, Irene spent 17 years in consumer-packaged goods marketing leading large global brands such as Oreo, Ritz, the What’s Cooking recipe
content strategy, and the Kraft Hockeyville community platform.

Irene is committed to living CTC’s Brand Purpose – We Are Here to Make Life in Canada Better – both inside and outside the company. She is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee, previously served as a Board Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, and has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. Irene holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

Katherine Fera
Director of Media & Communications
Nestle Canada Inc

An innovative and accomplished marketer with a versatile career that has included leadership roles on both the client and agency side. Katherine’s specialties are media strategy & partnerships, integrated communications, creative/content/influencer development, and building meaningful collaboration across teams. Her wealth of experience spans several industries, including Retail with Canadian Tire, CPG with Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola, and Financial with Visa, RBC, and Scotiabank. Katherine is currently the Director of Media & Communications at Nestlé Canada, managing the evolution of media & data, creative & content strategy, and community engagement. After five o’clock she’s Giovanni’s Mom, and sometimes an anthem singer for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Armin Huska
Head of Media
RBC Royal Bank

As Head of Media, Armin oversees the strategy & channel investment of Royal Bank of Canada’s media efforts since 2019, whilst also leading the relationships with key media- & agency partners of the bank.

He has been engaged in media & marketing across the globe for most of his career and worked with or for some of the world’s greatest brands, agencies and media publishers; transforming their approach to marketing /channel strategies, digital transformation, media-analytics, ad- tech and more. He is a trusted advisor to marketing executives, international media & publishing companies, legislators/regulators, investors and the wider advertising community.

Sylvain Marcoux
Director of Marketing
Desjardins

Sylvain joined Desjardins, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada in 2019, as the Director of Marketing, Donations, Sponsorships and Brand. In this role, he leads a diverse team delivering on advertising initiatives, on the brand evolution and Desjardins’ presence through philanthropic and sponsorship events.

Prior to this, he spent 15 years in the insurance industry managing the marketing communication teams of both Intact Insurance in Quebec, as well as belairdirect nationally. While at the helm, he was instrumental in executing the strategies that led the advertising transformations for these two organizations. Before, he held key
marketing position at National Bank of Canada, Laurentian Bank Financial Group and TC Transcontinental.

Last but not least, Sylvain through his career served on multiple industry boards and committee in Quebec. He is an experienced marketing executive and passionate leader with 25+ years experience, he empowers others and is always keen to promote the advancement of the marketing and communication field.

Nadia Niccoli
Head of Marketing
Diageo Canada

Nadia Niccoli is an award-winning, omnichannel marketer with over fifteen years of success, developing and implementing innovative and strategic campaigns, partnerships and sponsorships for leading consumer, entertainment and tech brands in North America. From TikTok to Don Julio, Smirnoff, Guinness, Baileys, Complex, Global TV, Food Network and HGTV, I am a revered leader who delivers measurable results and embraces unconventional thinking whether on a personal, corporate or board level to deliver impact. Recognized by partners and colleagues as strategic, dynamic and innovative.

Christine Saunders
CEO Starcom, CMO Publicis Groupe Canada
Starcom Worldwide, Publicis Groupe Canada

Christine is a strong, experienced leader, with over 20 years within the media and advertising industry. After successfully running several of Canada’s largest Media AOR’s, Christine was elevated to her current role as CEO of Starcom Canada in 2021.  In this role, she has successfully led the brand to consecutive years of double-digit growth and in 2022 won Media Agency of the Year. In 2023, Christine added the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Publicis Groupe Canada to her responsibilities. She credits a lot of her success to the talented team she has built around her and believes her most important role is to develop and inspire her talent. She leads with both empathy and business acumen and is well known for her straightforward counsel to colleagues and clients.

Scott Stewart
General Manager
Glassroom

As General Manager of Glassroom, Scott Stewart is a senior media executive who measures success through the complexity of business problems solved and outcomes created for the agency's suite of clients. 

Having spent his career working in senior strategy and executive roles at some of the world’s largest global media companies and top independents, in both Canada and the US, Scott has been recognized with national and global industry honours, including Media Innovation Awards, AToMiC, Cannes Media Lions, and Festival of Media Global. 

A proud graduate of the University of Toronto, he also serves on multiple industry boards and committees, including the CMA Media Council, COMMB Marketing Committee and MIA Advisory Board as part of his ongoing commitment to the Canadian media industry.

Sarah Thompson
President
Dentsu Media

Sarah is President, Media for Dentsu in Canada. She oversees Carat, Dentsu X and iProspect in Canada as well as the investment arm, Amplifi, for dentsu in Canada. She is a vocal advocate to support local media and diversity and inclusion in the workplace and representation in media.  Her career experience spans telecom (Rogers/TELUS and Shaw), retail, banking and insurance, consumer packaged goods, electronics and technology and B2B. She has experience that spans media strategy, creative and brand strategy, CRM, data and technology.

A frequent and sought-after speaker, Sarah regularly discusses responsible media and advertising, representation and the supply chain of media. And, has made multiple appearances as a guest lecturer at Schulich Business School, Humber, Centennial, Miami Ad School, and Rotman. She has spoken at numerous industry events and is often quoted in media, including articles for the Toronto Star, National
Post and the Globe and Mail. Sarah is also an avid moderator and panellist for Filling The Gap, dedicated to more inclusivity in the workforce. Sarah was also awarded " Media Leader of the Year" in 2020 from the CMDC. As the President for Dentsu’s media brands in Canada, Sarah is on a mission to make the dentsu a place where all of her colleagues can shine and thrive and clients understand when their media is working and when is it wasteful.

Peter Venus
Managing Director, Data and Activation
OMD Canada

Peter believes that effective innovation stems from insights harnessed through data, and is proven through proper measurement and analysis.  Over the past 10 years, he has lead a group of Marketing Scientists at OMD Canada that help drive that.

Peter has 17 years of experience in media and marketing, working across many verticals in Canada.  He has a passion for growing talent, and is an avid supporter of curiosity.  You will often hear him say “Everything starts with a question”.  Throughout his career, Peter has helped marketing clients establish meaningful business goals, and helped them prove the business value of their efforts.

Gavin Barrett
Founder, CEO & CCO
Barrett and Welsh

Gavin Barrett is the Founder, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the award-winning Toronto agency Barrett and Welsh. His first jobs were door-to-door market researcher, poet, pharmaceutical sales manager (not a euphemism) and musical production manager. None of them paid well, so he pursued a more satisfying career as a writer, designer/art director, creative director and creative entrepreneur.

In pursuit of big ideas, he has nibbled on pigs' ears (not on a live pig at the time), gone elephant-back in the Thai jungle (no elephants were hurt) and gambled in a Macau casino (was utterly destroyed).

His ads have targeted mums, businesswomen, unclejis and auntyjis, male tailors of the Muslim faith, tea drinkers, Scotch drinkers, men who smoke Virginia Slims, people trapped in planes, commuters, voters-on-fences, car mechanics and wedding planners. His work has been brought to life on screen and page by Deepa Mehta, David Carson, Bruno Barbey and Louis Ng.

His campaigns, which have run in 35 countries, have been studied in business texts in Canada and India, helped elect prime ministers, attracted the ire of the lawyers for Dolly the cloned sheep, drew an angry crowd in Lagos and were criticized by a fictional character in a John Irving novel.

He is the author of Understan (Mawenzi House 2020), a CBC Books recommendation.

He speaks frequently (and some say too much) at marketing conferences.

Monique Brosseau
President, Québec
GroupM Québec

Heather Clark
Chief Marketing Officer
SickKids Foundation

Heather Clark is Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for all aspects of
SickKids Foundation’s marketing and communications efforts, including mass
audience revenue. She joined SickKids in 2016 and was named Chief Marketing
Officer in October 2022.

Throughout her career, Heather has worked on global brands such as Apple,
Coca-Cola, FedEx, Joe Fresh, Nike and Tim Hortons. She has a proven track
record of developing and implementing customer-centric solutions with ROI-
driven business models and has earned a reputation for strategic planning with a
hyper-focus on growth.
 
Heather graduated from the University of Guelph with an Honours Bachelor of
Commerce degree in Marketing Management. She is an award-winning
marketer and has been recognized by Marketing Magazine as one to watch.

In her spare time, Heather writes fiction. She is the bestselling author of two
novels, Chai Tea Sunday and Elephant in the Sky. Heather also enjoys travelling,
SCUBA diving and reading, but her greatest joy comes from spending time with
her husband and three children.

Maura Cowan
VP Marketing
Lindt & Sprungli

Maura Cowan is the Vice President of Marketing at Lindt & Sprungli with experience working at a range of Fortune 500 companies such as Kellogg's, Unilever and SAB Miller in the United States and Canada.

Ekaterina Dobrokhotova
VP, Marketing
Miele Ltd

Ekaterina plays a pivotal role in driving strategic communication and branding initiatives for Miele Canada. With an extensive background in marketing, including a distinguished global position in the health and beauty industry, she is a catalyst for transformative digital advancements. Ekaterina's approach is defined by a relentless pursuit of innovation, fostering team empowerment, and solidifying Miele's unparalleled position as a leading home appliance company.

In addition to her professional achievements, Ekaterina's captivating presence extends beyond traditional boundaries. Through the power of social media, she has garnered over 100 million views with her captivating educational videos, establishing herself as an influential figure in the realms of motherhood, magic, and marketing. Her seamless ability to blend these diverse facets of her life demonstrates her exceptional versatility and resonates with audiences worldwide.

Pablo Heyman
VP Marketing Core Brands and Wine Rack
Arterra Wines Canada

Pablo is a Marketing & Commercial executive with leadership experience across top-tier consumer packaged goods companies, retail and consulting. Pablo is the VP Marketing Core brands and Wine Rack retail at Arterra Wines. In his previous consulting roles, he worked at Accenture’s Digital & Growth Marketing practice and at Deloitte’s Marketing & Customer Strategy practice. Before that, he was at Walmart as Sr Director Private Brands Marketing. In his CPG roles, he was the VP and Head of Marketing at ConAgra Foods Canada covering all brands, consumer insights, innovation and shopper marketing. Before that, he held a variety of leadership positions in Marketing, Strategy and Business Development at Kraft and Cadbury for 15 years, in Canada, US, UK and Latin America.

Hilary Lloyd
Vice President Marketing & CSR
The Body Shop

Hilary Lloyd is the Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for The Body Shop. Since 2018, she has led The Body Shop’s North American marketing efforts championing radical bodies, gender equity, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and ethical beauty. Before joining The Body Shop, Hilary served in CMO and Head of Marketing roles across several big, beautiful courageous brands. Throughout her career, Hilary’s efforts have been accredited as marketing, sustainability, and employment leading. Hilary will always be a champion for businesses and brands whose primary goal is to understand their consumers and work hard to meet their needs - all while trying to have a positive impact on people and the planet. 

Charles-Etienne Morier
President
Omnicom Mediagroup

When it comes to staying ahead of the curve, there’s one guy you can always count on: Charles Etienne. Though he studied architecture and interior design, Charles Etienne’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive for innovation quickly led him to interactive marketing in 2000. In 2001 he founded his own company, which offered high-speed Wi-Fi to hotels in Quebec and provided local tourist information and preferred rates in surrounding shops to their customers using a smart card. He was then hired by Inpix in 2003, a specialized interactive marketing agency, where he ran several interactive campaigns for Toyota Quebec.

In 2006, he joined the ranks of Marketel McCann Erickson, where clients such as Air Canada, Mastercard, SAQ and L'Oréal benefited from his work in digital media. When he signed on with Touché! PHD in 2007 as a digital media strategist, his great versatility led him to work for renowned clients such as VIA Rail, Milk, Cirque du Soleil, Hydro-Québec and Sport Chek. And as the agency grew and evolved, so did Charles Etienne: he was appointed first to the position of digital supervisor, then digital director and later vice-president of digital, where he led a team of 80 specialists and oversaw the global strategies of all accounts that led him to the senior vice-president of operations role to work on improving automation, processes and productivity of all teams.

Charles Etienne is a true man of action who embraces change and seeks effective and efficient outcomes in everything he touches. In his current role as president of Omnicom Media Group in Quebec, Charles Etienne works closely with all teams to continue developing innovative solutions for clients, implement best practices and continuously improve processes and tools to positively impact cost, quality and turnaround time.  He also sets up standards and works with the leadership team to ensure that these standards are reflected in processes, training and output quality.

In his 15 years with Omnicom Media Group and Touché!, his monumental accomplishments have been many: setting up the Search Engine Marketing unit in 2007 for the Montreal and Toronto offices; establishing work processes and an in-house education program to build one of the largest digital media forces in Canada; negotiating and managing corporate agreements for Omnicom Media Group in Canada; spearheading the Marketing Science group to leverage the combined expertise of the research and business intelligence teams—today, a group of 18 people focused on data and automation for the agency’s clients. Charles Etienne has been recognized by his peers on numerous occasions, including at the Prix Média/Idea, the Media Innovation Awards, the Cannes Lions and the Festival of Media.

Cheryl Sebastian
Senior Director, Global Partnerships National Basketball Association – Canada
NBA Canada Inc

Cheryl is a passionate professional with over 10 years of sports & entertainment industry experience with an extensive background in strategic partnerships and best-in-class client services. As the Senior Director of Global Partnerships, Cheryl is responsible for leading the development of marketing partnerships for the NBA in Canada. Since joining the league in 2014, Cheryl’s hard work, innovative and problem-solving approach has played a major role in growing the league’s partnership business.

Nicole Simpson
General Manager
Reprise Media

Nicole brings 20 years of experience to her role as General Manager at Reprise. In her role, she oversees all client accounts and day-to-day operational business. Nicole strives for excellence in her work, leading her team of talented subject matter experts across performance channels to achieve client business goals in innovative ways that leverage the ever-evolving opportunities within this dynamic space. Having experience across a variety of industries, including Tourism, Financial, Insurance, Retail and CPG, bringing her calm demeanor, focus, rationality and dedication to every aspect of her work.

Josh Tebbutt
VP, Media Director
Jungle Media Vancouver

Josh brings 25 years’ experience shaping media & strategic direction for major brands operating nationally and internationally.  Working with clients such as Sleeman, Honda, Government of BC, Tourism Yukon and Sobeys, he has developed broad category knowledge matched with a deep understanding of numerous geographic, demographic and ethnic audiences.  

In 2010, he leveraged that expertise, launching Jungle Media in Vancouver and helping to grow the agency into a regular finalist for Strategy Magazine’s Media Agency of the Year.

As VP, Media Director for Jungle Vancouver, Josh closely monitors the changing media landscape and provides counsel to clients on the evolving opportunities to connect with their customers and stakeholders.  In his role, Josh is constantly seeking ways to help clients stand out through innovative execution and creative placement, a focus that resulted in a Best of Show win at the Marketing Magazine’s Media Innovation Awards.

Wes Wolch
SVP, Marketing
Holt Renfrew

A versatile marketing executive with 15+ years of brand and agency experience with some of the top companies in Canada and the US. Wes currently oversees the Marketing team at Holt Renfrew, delivering impactful campaigns featuring some of the top fashion brands and culture creators in the world.  He has previously worked in senior roles at Cossette Media, VICE and MEC.

Cobi Zhang
VP, Media Investment and Activation
Horizon Media Canada

Cobi brings over 18 years of media investment and strategic planning experience to his role as VP, Investment & Activation at Horizon Media Canada. He leads the investment practice on key clients such as Tim Hortons, Burger King and Alberta Blue Cross. His expertise spans across all media channels and multiple business categories such as auto, entertainment, retail, travel and not-for-profit.

Cobi started his career in media investment where he built a strong foundation of knowledge on the Canadian media market. He is known for his expertise in the entertainment sector, having serviced multiple clients in this category such as Warner Bros. Entertainment, HBO, Sony Pictures, Elevation Pictures and CBS All Access. He has gained a reputation as a fierce and fair negotiator, and he has earned the trust and respect of his clients, peers and media partners.

Cobi is passionate about building brands, finding solutions and making a difference for his clients. He is also a great mentor who maintains a sharp focus on promoting growth within his team. Cobi is also a vocal advocate for DEI, playing a significant role in activating the #StopAsianHate PSA campaign in Spring 2021, along with his colleagues from the Horizon East group.