Derek Bhopalsingh
EVP, platform media
Publicis

Derek Bhopalsingh is a leader in the Canadian digital marketing landscape. He calls Publicis Media Canada home, overseeing programmatic, search, social and eCommerce as EVP of Platform Media for the holding company.  With almost two decades of experience, Derek knows how to build high performing teams and how to drive excellent business outcomes for his clients.

He is also known for his work through the IAB, representing the Canadian agency community as a member of the board of directors.   He participates regularly in mentorship initiatives and is a regular speaker at industry events.

Previously, Derek has held senior roles in both agencies and holding companies - focusing on elevating digital marketing experiences, the use of data and application of analytics.  He is a product of both York University and Georgian College.

Tania Goecke
Global VP Marketing: Brands with Purpose & Global Asset Activation
Bimbo Canada

Ashish Bhatnagar
Former Sr. director, ecommerce and digital marketing
Independent

Ashish Bhatnagar is a seasoned leader in ecommerce and digital marketing, with more than 15 years of experience driving growth for brands across Retail, CPG and consulting — including Roots, Spinrite, Sapient and TD Bank. He has led ecommerce P&L strategy across multiple organizations, built full-funnel paid media and CRM programs, and shaped marketplace strategy to expand reach and revenue.

Ashish's expertise spans media management, paid search, paid social and email marketing, with a consistent focus on elevating the omni-channel customer experience — from web strategy and UX/UI through to performance measurement and attribution. He brings a commercial, metrics-first lens to marketing, grounding creative and channel decisions in clear business outcomes.

Across his career, Ashish has worked at the intersection of brand and performance — helping organizations balance direct-to-consumer growth with marketplace expansion, and building teams and processes that scale.

Micheal Bispo
Director, media effectiveness & planning
OLG

Micheal leads the paid media practice at Ontario Lottery & Gaming. Curious by nature and
committed to lifelong learning, he's held a broad spectrum of media leadership roles at top brands like Loblaw and Rogers Communications, at media holding companies and agencies, and as an independent consultant. To his colleagues, he's as valued for his thoughtful perspective on the modern media ecosystem as he is for the elevated stakeholder experience he's known for — coaching, collaborating, or simply rolling up his sleeves to help get it done.

Katherine Bond-Debicki
CMO
KFC

Katherine serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for KFC Canada. In her role, she oversees allomnichannel marketing planning, communications, corporate reputation  and innovation development for the Canadian business unit and is responsible for brand health and profitable revenue growth.

Katherine kick started her career in Ireland, working for Procter & Gamble across its Baby, Fabric and Home Care portfolios. She made the leap to the land of the golden fried good stuff, joining the KFC UKI business where she worked for a number of years before transferring to KFC Canada. Over her time at KFC, she has had incredible opportunities to champion a move to omnichannel retail, a dedication to redefining Finger Lickin’ Good for today’s generation across food, planet and people initiatives, and championing a return of brand building marketing.

Katherine is a believer in foresight and the power of marketing to influence organizational change. Outside of the office, she is an avid traveler, a culinary enthusiast (although she has mastered the eating more than the cooking) and a mom of two.

Lindsay Cook
VP, control brand, loyalty & Joe Fresh Marketing
Loblaw

Lindsay Cook is the Vice President of Divisional Marketing and Social Media with Loblaw Companies Ltd. She brings with her 16 years of strategic marketing and communications experience in the competitive retailing market having championed fashion, beauty, home and food brands and banners. She began her career at Loblaw in 2007 quickly advancing to more senior levels of responsibility within the organization. Lindsay oversaw the launch of four Joe Fresh standalone stores in New York City, later moving to New York to oversee enterprise-level marketing for the global brand including international launches and developing partnerships in untapped regions such as South Korea and the Middle East. Most recently Lindsay returned to the food side of the Loblaw business to assume her current role, leading marketing for the Loblaw conventional group of grocery stores as well as leading Social Media strategy and content for the enterprise.

Alice DiGiovanni
President
Wavemaker

Alice DiGiovanni is President, WPP Media; Wavemaker brand, where she leads the agency’s Canadian operations, fostering growth, innovation, and a culture that empowers teams to do their best work. In her role, Alice guides the Wavemaker brand in delivering forward-thinking, results-driven media strategies that help clients thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

With over two decades of experience spanning both media and creative agency leadership, Alice has been a driving force in the industry’s evolution — championing innovation, embracing emerging technologies, and helping brands navigate change with clarity and confidence. She believes media is a powerful connector, woven into every interaction between people and brands, and sees endless opportunities to create meaningful impact through smart, creative thinking.

Beyond her leadership at WPP Media, Alice serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Media Directors’ Council (CMDC) and plays an active role in its Women in Leadership for Advertising and Tech chapter. She is a dedicated advocate for advancing the industry, mentoring future leaders, and ensuring diverse voices help shape the future of media.

As a judge for the Atomic Awards, Alice brings a discerning eye for work that challenges the status quo and sets new standards for creativity, technology, and innovation. She looks forward to celebrating ideas that inspire change and demonstrate the power of bringing together the best platforms, people, and partners to deliver extraordinary results.

Helen Galanis
CEO
Initiative

Devon MacDonald
President
Cairns Oneil

Laura MacLean
President
Carat

Laura Maclean is President of Carat Canada, where she leads the agency’s strategic direction, client business, and growth agenda. A media industry leader with more than 20 years of experience, Laura has spent her career partnering with some of Canada’s most recognizable brands, including Coca-Cola, General Motors, Samsung, TD Bank, Subway, and Walmart, to navigate transformation, accelerate growth, and adapt to a rapidly evolving marketplace. Her expertise spans media strategy, business transformation, and client leadership, with a focus on delivering meaningful business outcomes. Laura is recognized for her collaborative leadership style, commitment to talent development, and ability to build high-performing teams and trusted client partnerships. Her industry achievements include a Cannes Gold Lion and recognition on Mediaweek UK's 30 Under 30 list.

Shannon Pluem
SVP, integrated investment
Horizon Media

An award-winning executive and passionate people leader with over 20 years in the media industry, Shannon is uniquely defined by her expertise in both client leadership and strategic investment. This rare combination allows her to move beyond transactional relationships to build high-value, long-term partnerships and innovative solutions that drive measurable growth for clients. Shannon is dedicated to fostering collaborative environments through empowerment and empathy.

Louise Simkin
President
Havas

Louise Simkin is a growth‑focused leader who pairs analytical rigour with creative vision to keep Havas Media Canada ahead of market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience across digital and integrated media, she has steered national teams, translating data into high‑impact campaigns that deliver measurable business results. As President, Louise is accountable for agency performance, client satisfaction and talent development, ensuring every engagement links media investment directly to growth outcomes. Previously, as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Noise Digital, she built the data consulting practice and led the agency’s seamless integration following its 2023 acquisition by Havas. Her leadership has earned multiple industry honours, and she continues to champion diversity, mentorship and innovation across every mandate she leads.

Agamemnon Spiridoulias
Head of media
IKEA

Agamemnon is Head of Media at IKEA Canada, where he leads the national media strategy, investment, and performance agenda across brand and activation initiatives. With more than two decades of experience spanning both agency and client-side roles, Ag brings a unique blend of strategic thinking, operational excellence, leadership, and hands-on execution to every challenge.

Throughout his career, Ag has built a reputation for solving business problems through a holistic, evidence-based approach. He is passionate about connecting business objectives with effective marketing solutions, leveraging consumer insights, data, media innovation, and proven marketing effectiveness principles to drive sustainable growth.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and humour, Ag enjoys bringing teams together to navigate challenges, uncover opportunities, and turn strategy into action.

Luis Areas
VP, media and growth, partner and co-owner
Cartier

Luis Areas is VP, Media & Growth and a partner and co-owner at Cartier, the Montreal-based independent agency he joined in 2017 and has co-led since 2019. As committed to the industry as he is to his clients, Luis serves as President of the Media Directors Committee and sits on the Board of Directors of the Association of Creative Communications Agencies (A2C). He was also a key contributor to the creation of Local Media Movement, a landmark initiative advocating for a healthier, locally rooted media ecosystem in Canada. With over 20 years of experience across Cossette, McCann/Marketel, and Cartier, he has built and led media teams recognized at the Idéa Awards, the Media Innovation Awards, and Cannes Lions.

Jenna Bendavid
senior manager, media
Diageo

Jenna Bendavid, CM, is Senior Manager, Media at Diageo Canada, with more than 15 years of experience across agency and brand-side media. Her career spans integrated media strategy, planning and innovation, with a focus on creating effective, impactful work that drives both brand and business growth.

Eleanor Bothwell
manager, media & performance strategy
Skip

Eleanor Bothwell is the Manager of Media & Performance Strategy at Skip, bringing over 20 years of experience in integrated media planning, buying, and digital strategy. In her role at Skip, she leads paid media strategy and performance, working closely with agency partners to drive high-impact campaigns and business growth.

Throughout her career, Eleanor has held senior media leadership roles at top agencies and brands—including Intuit, Media Experts, and Maxus Global—managing high-profile portfolios across retail, tech, entertainment, finance, and telco. She also served as an instructor with IAB Canada for almost a decade, teaching courses in digital sales, media planning, buying, and integrated marketing. Eleanor specializes in performance marketing, marketing analytics, media innovation, and building strategic cross-functional partnerships.

Harry Casseus
head of performance marketing & retail media
RONA

Laura Emary
VP, media planning
Starcom

Laura Emary is Vice President, Media Planning at Starcom Canada, where she partners with brands to build media strategies that drive meaningful business results. With over 15 years of experience across media planning, client leadership, and business strategy, she has developed a reputation for blending analytical thinking with a people-first approach. Laura is passionate about helping clients embrace change, uncover new opportunities, and bring innovative ideas to life. Whether she's leading strategic conversations, mentoring emerging talent, or shaping the future of media, Laura is driven by a commitment to collaboration, curiosity, and continuous growth.

Barbara Glover
VP, digital media
True Media

Barbara has spent over 20 years in digital media, keeping a constant hand on the pulse of industry evolution. She is ignited by innovation and the excitement of uncovering stories hidden within the data, mining and optimizing for better signals that drive real performance. 

Alicia Petralia
VP of Integrated Media
One23West

With nearly two decades of experience in media, Alicia Petralia has built her career around the belief that the strongest work happens when media and creative are developed together. As VP, Integrated Media at One23West, she is helping build a more integrated approach to media, bringing media thinking earlier into the creative and strategic process to help shape stronger, more effective ideas.

Prior to joining One23West, Alicia led media at Zulu Alpha Kilo and held senior roles at Bensimon Byrne and Initiative, working across a wide range of categories and clients throughout Canada and North America. She is an industry speaker and awards judge with a particular passion for ideas that use media in unexpected ways to earn attention, create relevance and drive meaningful results.

Sebastien Royer
VP, media
Dentsu

Sebastien Royer leads the Montreal office for Dentsu's media practice, where he oversees all media activities, fosters true strategic partnerships that help brands solve complex marketing challenges, and drives sustainable growth. He plays a key role in building a strong, unified culture rooted in collaboration and excellence. With more than 15 years of experience in media, he brings a deep understanding of the local, national and global markets along with recognized expertise in media innovation and developing high-performing teams. His career, which includes strategic leadership roles at major agencies as well as client-side experience, reflects a strong ability to mobilize, structure, and elevate organizations in a constantly evolving media landscape.  Active in the media industry, Sebastien is part of the A2C's Media Leadership Board since 2021, bringing a strategic perspective on the evolving role of media as well as previous experience on media awards juries.

Tammy Sadinsky
CMO
M&M Food Market

Tammy Sadinsky is Chief Marketing Officer at M&M Food Market and a senior marketing executive with nearly 30 years of experience leading growth and brand transformation for organizations including CIBC, Walmart Canada, Tim Hortons, and General Mills.

An experienced industry judge and board leader, Tammy brings expertise in marketing effectiveness, innovation, customer strategy, and commercial growth.

Thomas Shadoff
director, media
FanDuel

Dino Visconti
group director, client lead
MindShare

Dino Visconti is a Group Director and Client Lead on Ford at WPP Media, with more than 20 years of experience in strategic media planning and client leadership across a diverse range of categories, including CPG, the Ontario Government, consumer electronics, and premium and alcoholic beverages.

While his career has spanned many industries, automotive has been Dino’s true passion for almost his entire career. He has become an integral part of the Ford business, developing media strategies that connect business objectives with evolving consumer behaviour in one of the industry’s most competitive and rapidly changing categories. His deep understanding of the automotive landscape, combined with the strong relationships he has built with dealers across the country, has made him a trusted strategic partner in helping them navigate an increasingly complex media environment.

Known for his strategic thinking, collaborative leadership and solutions-oriented approach, Dino is equally passionate about building strong client and team relationships and turning complex challenges into actionable opportunities.

One of his most recent achievements was spearheading a cross-country OEM digital media education series driving digital acumen for many clients. The initiative has equipped clients with the knowledge and confidence to make more informed marketing decisions, strengthening their digital acumen as the media landscape continues to evolve.

Diana Walter
chief media officer
OMD

Sherry Xie
head of media