Meet Our Judges

Ola Machnowski
VP, Marketing
Hershey

Ola is a seasoned business and marketing leader with over 15 years of experience across multiple functions (marketing, sales, eCom) and consumer packaged goods organizations including Hershey Canada, Unilever & GlaxoSmithKline.  In her current role as Head of Marketing at Hershey Canada, Ola leads a multi-disciplinary team spanning brand building, innovation, insights and analytics, portfolio strategy, omni-shopper, digital capabilities and media excellence. Ola’s passions lie in developing the next generation of marketing leaders through brand plans that ‘dream big’ but are also grounded in business realities.   She is most known for her ability to build genuine connections across the organization and rise to any challenge with a signature style of flexing business savviness and a great sense of humour.  In her spare time she can be found exploring nature with her husband, 2 boys and aussie-doodle, or at the keys of a piano working on her next tune.

Brian Murray
Chief Creative Officer
Zulu Alpha Kilo

Brian Murray is Chief Creative Officer at Zulu Alpha Kilo in Toronto. Brian was ranked the #1 Creative in Canada in the 2021 and 2022 One Show rankings and the #2 Chief Creative Officer in Canada on the 2022 Strategy Magazine Creative Report Card. Brian has worked in both Toronto, CAN, and London, UK, alongside many talented people, and is one of the only Creative Directors in the country to have won multiple Cannes Lions Grand Prix trophies. He was a key contributor to a Grand Clio in Creative Effectiveness, a One Show Best in Discipline in Creative Effectiveness and a Penta Pencil. Also, Brian has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. (Advertising is a business after all.

Xavier Blais
Partner, Executive Creative Director
Rethink

Xavier is a Partner and Executive Creative Director at Rethink.

He joined the agency in 2015 to help build the Montreal office from the ground up and since
then, Rethink has emerged as one of the world’s top creative agencies. During that period, he
consistently helped create famous work for global brands like Molson Coors, IKEA and Kraft
Heinz and not for profits like Greenpeace, Fondation Émergence and the National Film Board of
Canada.

Xavier’s work was featured in just about every mainstream news outlet on Earth, earned
accolades in every international award show and was exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine
Arts. Ketchup Fraud, his latest work for Heinz Ketchup is currently featured on his mom’s iPhone lock screen.

Erika Dehaas
Vice President, Corporate Marketing
Empire

Throughout her career, Erika has dedicated herself to shaping some of Canada’s most iconic brands. A strategic, digitally driven, and creative leader, she is committed to nurturing and enriching brand connections with consumers at every interaction.

In her role as the Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Empire Company Limited, Erika spearheads the integration of national marketing functions that transcend individual banner brands, aiming to elevate the company's customer-facing marketing efforts. Her primary focus is on fostering brand preference and deepening consumer affinity across Canada.

Erika's extensive responsibilities encompass overseeing Creative and Media Strategy, Digital Performance Marketing, Content Management, and In-Store Visual Experience for all Empire banner Brands. Moreover, she holds a pivotal position in steering Empire’s Corporate Citizenship efforts and overseeing Sponsorships and Shopper Marketing initiatives.

Jimmy duDomaine
Vice President of Product
The Keg

Jimmy is currently Vice President of Product for The Keg, where he oversees food & beverage strategy, innovation and menu development for all Keg restaurants across North America. In this role, Jimmy also leads strategy, innovation and branding for The Keg’s retail products. This portfolio includes seasonings, dressings, sauces, burgers, ribs, and most recently, ice creams and ready-to-drink cocktails.

Prior to his current role, Jimmy held various marketing positions across The Keg and Milestones restaurants from 2014-2023. Prior to that, he began his career in advertising at then Toronto based agency kbs+.

Bob Froese
Founder & CCO
Bob's Your Uncle

A creative marketing leader, Bob excels at helping emerging brands shape and grow categories, leading to significant business growth. His many success stories include developing and directing the marketing strategy that propelled Mike’s Hard Lemonade from start-up to North American category leader in just four short years. Bob’s scope of experience ranges from working with CEO’s to develop effective brand strategies; to creating strong and dynamic brands; to building campaigns with a full spectrum of marketing possibilities. His clients have included Molson Coors, Canon, Cadbury, Roche and Calvin Klein. As the CEO of an advertising agency focused on food & beverage, Bob has built a team that understands the increasingly diverse spectrum of media and consumer connection and knows how to use them to drive business results. Under his leadership, the agency embraced the digital transformation of the marketing industry and helped their clients leverage the seemingly unlimited opportunities. Bob not only has significant experience in regulated categories including alcohol, natural health products and children’s products, he also knows how to help brands do exceptional work within their creatively restricted parameters. Earlier in his career, Bob helped shape Canada’s tobacco cessation strategy. Working with Health Canada, NGO’s and other interest groups, he led the development of a tobacco cessation campaign that’s recognized internationally for its effectiveness. As a member of the Minister of Health’s Advisory Committee on Tobacco Cessation, Bob engaged with world-leading authorities on issues related to tobacco marketing and served as an expert witness in the Federal Government’s suit against the tobacco industry. Bob’s more than just a fan of the underdog. His passion is for pushing smart, challenger brands to the forefront against significant competitors and challenges by out-thinking, out-maneuvering and out-working category frontrunners. It’s the same drive that took him from a small agency in Winnipeg, Manitoba to a thriving agency in Toronto that, not surprisingly, is challenging its own category leaders. An accomplished and charismatic leader, the impact of his work is evidenced through his longstanding client and agency relationships.

Tanbir Grover
Chief Marketing and Digital Officer
Pet Valu

Tanbir Grover is the Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Pet Valu, having responsibility of Pet Valu's omni-channel marketing, e-commerce and marketing analytics, including the Company’s loyalty program. Prior to joining Pet Valu, Mr. Grover served as Vice President, Digital at the Co-operators Group Limited from January 2020 to November 2020. Prior to that, he held a number of different roles at Lowe’s Canada from 2011 to 2020 where he most recently served as Vice President of e-commerce and Omnichannel. Mr. Grover also held senior digital and marketing positions at the Hudson’s Bay Company and Sears Canada. Mr. Grover earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Not for Profit Directors Education Program at the Institute of Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto.

Carolyn Hynds
Vice President, Marketing, CRM and Member Engagement
RBC

Carolyn is the Vice President of Marketing, CRM & Member Engagement for Avion Rewards, at RBC. Previously, she led the team that created Be Well, Rexall and McKesson's innovative and award-winning loyalty program that unifies health and wellness. Her passion for data driven marketing fostered a career focused on using customer insights to drive business decisions, starting with market research firm NPD Group, and later, managing two of the largest loyalty programs in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart and Canadian Tire. Carolyn takes pride in her ability to develop talent and build high performing teams which has been critical to her success leading large transformational innovation projects.

Ambereen Jahangir
CEO
DV8 Communication

With a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in marketing, advertising, and the financial sector, Ambereen Jahangir has earned acclaim for her adept leadership and strategic prowess. As the CEO of DV8 Communications, Ambereen shapes the business vision, infusing creativity and innovation into the marketing-advertising landscape.

Ambereen's expertise extends to multicultural marketing, where she has demonstrated her sharp strategic insights, contributing to the success of renowned brands such as Mitsubishi Canada, Nestlé Canada, Nissan Canada, Infiniti Canada, Kraft, Maple Leaf Foods, Food Basics, Sobeys, FreshCo, Dempster’s, La Vie En Rose, Maybelline, Goodlife Fitness, and more. Her leadership has driven DV8 through innovative, integrated campaigns, earning recognition for herself and her team.

Prior to founding DV8, Ambereen held key positions in international financial institutions, including Merrill Lynch and Union Bank of Switzerland, where she served as the Head of International Markets.Her global journey has taken her to various continents, fostering a deep understanding of diverse cultures. Having lived and worked in the USA, UK, Middle East, Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore, Ambereen brings a truly international perspective to her endeavors.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Ambereen is a passionate advocate for the moral, spiritual, and ethical development of diverse communities. Actively involved in supporting social and charitable causes, she dedicates herself to making a positive impact beyond the business realm.

In addition to leading DV8's endeavors in ethnic marketing and advertising, Ambereen finds joy in culinary creativity. She takes pride in creating fresh, health-conscious fusion recipes, showcasing her commitment to a well-rounded lifestyle. She shares her love for traveling by exploring the world with her family, adding unique experiences to both her work and personal life.

Ambereen Jahangir stands as a dynamic leader, bringing together a wealth of experience, strategic insight, and a commitment to positive societal impact. Her journey continues to inspire excellence and innovation in the realms of marketing, advertising, and beyond.

Ian Mackenzie
Chief Creative Officer
McCann Canada

Across 15 years in the business, first as writer then Chief Creative Officer, Ian has worked at the forefront of digital and creative innovation. During that time, his work and teams have helped incredible client partners build, transform, and repair their brands and drive growth, and earned more than 500 awards for creativity and effectiveness, including Grand Prix level awards at the Global Effies, D&AD and Clios, plus 40 One Show Pencils and 31 Cannes Lions. Ian is currently ranked as the #3 CCO in Strategy Magazine’s 2023 Creative Report Card and #14 CCO in the world on the D&AD’s 2023 Ratings. Ian’s notable work includes the radical transparency platform “Our Food. Your Questions.” for McDonald’s, the tech-forward travel platforms “Go Back To Africa” and “Black Elevation Map” for Black & Abroad, the e-comm data acquisition platform “Publicly Traded” for LifeStyles Healthcare, the AI-driven loyalty program “Hofmeister Kink” for BMW and, most recently, the generative AI search and signage system “The Greatest Guide” for Grupo Bimbo. 

While Chief Creative Officer at FCB/SIX, Ian led the agency to become Ad Age’s first ever Data & Analytics Agency of the Year and the #1-ranked Canadian agency at Cannes in both 2018 and 2019. In 2021, Ian co-founded Performance Art, which has become a recognized leader in Canada and around the world in the areas of creative data and innovative digital solutions. In the past 24 months, Ian and his team created AdAge’s 2023 Creative Data Campaign of the Year, were Canada’s most-awarded agency at the 2022 Cannes Lions, named a finalist for 2023 Global Digital Innovation Agency of the Year, won the Grand Prix at the 2022 Drum Awards and the 2023 Shopper Innovation & Activation Awards.

Omar Morson
Creative Director, Head of Design
The Local Collective

For over 20 years Omar has honed his design craft on some of Canada and the US’s largest brands. He loves to engage with client partners to think, act and be bold in their shared ambitions. From branding to global campaigns, his multi-disciplined approach pushes the limits of convention for which he has been internationally and nationally recognized.

Omar leads the design team at The Local Collective, ensuring every campaign, project or assignment that is created has a high level of detail and craft that helps to elevate a brand, break through among consumers and creates disruption.

Angela Sarino
Vice President Business Partner Marketing
CIBC

Angela Sarino, Senior Director Marketing Communications at CIBC, is a seasoned marketing professional with over 20 years’ experience, launching new products, driving product acquisition and client retention. 

Loves the creative process and has an innate curiosity about what drives consumer behavior.  Has a great appreciation for really inspired advertising.  In fact, Ryan Reynolds is her hero. 

Angela has been a judge for the Canadian Marketing Awards since 2017 and the 2020 Effie Canada Awards.  Over the years, Angela has been a recipient of several awards herself, the most recent in 2019 at the inaugural Effie’s for the CIBC Aventura “Travellers Travel Card” campaign. 

In a past life, was CIBC’s sponsorship and cause marketing guru, developing national events, marketing campaigns and strategic partnerships for properties such as the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure and Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s One Walk to Conquer Cancer, among others.  Led a team of passionate, community-minded individuals to raise almost $50 million for breast cancer/cancer research. 

Appreciates good food and design, travelling off the beaten path and tracing her family’s ancestry.

Don Saynor
Chief Creative Officer
Evolve Agency Group

For almost 30 years Don has partnered with both domestic and international
clients to help them build their brands.

He started in 1994 as an Account Coordinator. On day one he was asked with
getting his boss’ dry cleaning. He quickly learned the Creative Department was
where he wanted to be.

For decades working at large multinational shops he helped create ideas for a
wide variety of brands; Kellogg’s, Kraft, Nestle, Diageo. Highlights were when he
led creative development for retail clients Walmart and Air Canada.

In 2015, Don founded The Jack Russell Agency - an independent shop built to
meet the ever-changing demands of digital, new, and social media. Jack
Russell’s mandate was to help clients get to market faster, taking advantage of
cultural shifts and trends.

In 2023 Jack Russell Agency was acquired by the Evolve Agency with Don
becoming Chief Creative Officer of all agencies within the Evolve Group.
Most importantly, Don is a dad to three teenagers. He spends many, many hours
with them at hockey arenas, dancing to Taylor Swift, and working on their family
blog/online store BasicDad.

Lauren Thomson
Vice President Creative Strategy & Integrated Communications
MSL

Meet Lauren, a dynamic leader driven by insights and creativity. With over 13 years of experience, she collaborates with both national and global clients, crafting award-winning campaigns that grow market share. Lauren's focus at MSL is on building culturally relevant ideas and narratives that seamlessly integrate into people's lives. Throughout her career, she has had the pleasure of working with renowned brands such as McDonald’s, RMHC, Mondelez, TD, Kellogg’s, Walmart, P&G, GM, Rogers, RBC, and more.

While taking pride in contributing to an industry that celebrates creativity in various forms, Lauren is also committed to championing opportunities for emerging talent. In her role at MSL, she actively coaches, trains, and mentors creatives at every level and firmly rejects the 'you have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé' approach to career building, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and realistic opportunities. This is exemplified through her support for organizations like VIBE Arts, AGO Next, and The One Club for Creativity, which actively and tangibly support diverse and emerging talent in Canada.

Sabrina Zollo
Vice President, Marketing
Lactalis

Sabrina Zollo is Vice President, Marketing – Cheese & Tablespreads at Lactalis Canada where she is responsible for building brand equity and driving profitable growth across a portfolio of Canada’s favourite cheese brands, including Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Cheestrings, P’tit Quebec and Balderson.

With twenty years of experience across diverse CPG and retail industries, Sabrina is passionate about uncovering consumer insights to build brand love and drive sustainable business growth.

While at Lactalis Canada, Sabrina has led a team to build brand equity and gain market share through breakthrough advertising, award-winning innovation and marketing, optimized media strategies and new ways of engaging with consumers. Prior to Lactalis Canada, Sabrina held progressive brand management roles at Canadian Tire, Johnson & Johnson, and Kraft Heinz where she demonstrated a strong track record of engaging people and teams to consistently deliver results.

Mourad Bouaziz
ACD
Dentsu

Mourad is an award-winning creative from Montréal.

Over the years, Mourad has developed expertise in creating campaigns that combine utility
and wonder. Whether it’s by building the world’s smallest food truck to launch a cheese
fondue brand, offering to test-drive a 30-year-old car to prove its reliability or even recording
1,834 voices to revive a beloved jingle, Mourad’s work achieves creative effectiveness to the
benefit of the clients he’s working for.

Mourad truly believes there is a big idea to find even in the smallest briefs. And that’s why he
approaches each mandate with the same rigour and consistency. Prior to joining Dentsu
Creative, Mourad was a copywriter at lg2, Ogilvy, McCann and Bleublancrouge, where he
worked on adaptation and original creation for brands like: Québec City Tourism, Pony,
Épargne Placements Québec, Nespresso, Toyota, Investors Group, Can-Am Spyder, PPG
(Sico Paint and Dulux), Loto-Québec and Cineplex Entertainment.

His work has been acknowledged by his peers in the ad industry, but also rewarded by the
Government of Québec for his ingenious and outstanding use of French language in
advertising. Mourad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Advertising from the
Université de Montreal, and a Graduate diploma in Applied Communications from the
Université de Sherbrooke.

Sarah Broomfield
Director of Marketing, Crackers & Salty Snacks
Campbell

Since joining Campbells in 2014, Sarah has held leadership positions across both the Marketing and Sales teams, and is currently overseeing the commercial planning, marketing and innovation for the total Snacking portfolio. With 16 years of experience in the CPG industry, Sarah's previous work experience includes Marketing roles at companies such as Weight Watchers and PepsiCo.

Jennifer Callegaro
Director, Marketing
WestJet

Jen has over 15 years of experience as a marketing professional leading brands here at home and abroad. Jen graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario and then went on to complete her French degree at the University of Toronto. Post-grad, she spent 2 years in advertising at DDB Canada and then 6 years with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment as a Marketing Manager. After a short hiatus from work to complete her MBA at The Schulich School of Business, she joined Expedia Canada where she led brand marketing efforts nationally prior to moving into a global partnerships role for the Group. Jen is now Marketing Director for WestJet, leading the following teams: Brand & Sponsorship Activation, Loyalty & Product Marketing, Destination & Retail Marketing and Channel Strategies (Paid & Owned). Jen’s evenings and weekends are all about spending time with her husband Brad and their two girls Gabby and Izzy – playing dress up or enjoying a sporting event. Jen loves a good Netflix binge and glass of wine white. 

Pam Danowski
Creative Director
GUT Toronto

Pam Danowski is a Creative Director at GUT Toronto. Throughout her career, she has worked on campaigns for Dove, American Express, Huggies, Kotex, Pizza Hut, and Tim Hortons.

Her work has been recognized by Cannes, D&AD, One Show, Clios, Communication Arts, The Marketing Awards, and more. In 2021, the One Club named her one of the Next Creative Leaders. 

When she isn’t coming up with ideas, Pam loves to indulge in terrible reality TV and hang out with her dog, who may (or may not) be named after a reality TV star.

Howard Poon
VP, Director of Design
DDB

Howard has a reputation for frank feedback and has a low tolerance for complexity. He stays curious with a subscription to the Sunday New York Times and stays hydrated with espresso.

As VP Design for DDB Canada, Howard collaborates with a cross-disciplinary agency team of strategists, creatives, and designers to use insight-driven design to build exceptional brands. Over the years, his team’s work has appeared in One Show, Communication Arts, Applied Arts, ADCC and has been recognized with international, national, and regional awards.

Howard is passionate about nurturing young talent.

Laurent Prud'homme
Creative Director
Ogilvy

From his start in 1991, Laurent has refined his skills as a copywriter in Paris, Nice, London and Montreal. Following training in the foremost French agencies, he left for London in 1994. At that time he worked for World Writers Ltd. and stamped his mark on such prestigious brands as Levis, Nike, and most of all Microsoft, for whom he created the French version of "Where do you want to go today?™". One year later, Cossette offered him a position in Montreal... He accepted.

In Quebec for more than 25 years, Laurent has worked at Cossette, PALM+Havas, BBDO, Sidlee, Taxi and Ogilvy Canada successively. His creativity has earned him nominations at the London Festival, the New York Festival, as well as Cannes. He has won more than 70 prizes, on both the local and international scenes.

Clare Tidby
VP, Marketing and Visitor Experience
Discover Halifax

Clare has divided her career between agency and client side, focusing most often on the CPG and tourism sectors. In her current role as lead for leisure marketing at Discover Halifax, Clare helps connect visitors with the organization’s 700+ member businesses, including retailers, restaurants and hotels.

Amin Todai
Founder, CCO
OneMethod

Amin is a multi-disciplinary designer, angel investor, and entrepreneur. As a designer, Amin is best known for his work crafting brands & experiences. He has led design efforts for brands like The Toronto Raptors, Drake, Ebay, Microsoft, and the CFL. Recent highlights include leading Scotiabank’s global rebrand, which just launched in 32 countries, and leading the physical design + experience design of the Kit Kat Chocolatory, the company’s first permanent retail presence in North America. 

Amin’s interest & experience also extends across different avenues. He has designed various environments such as retail spaces, offices, bars & restaurants, earning multiple international industry accolades along the way. He has designed furniture and reimagined luxury cars. And he has designed men’s streetwear worn by the likes of Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.