Brand Connect is an invite-only event series for senior-level marketers & procurement executives looking to network, gain insights, and be inspired by their peers. Last event was comprised of 200+ marketers, across 64 brands.
This years' themes are centred around the premise of how brands grow against a backdrop of changing consumer habits, the relationship between marketers and procurement departments, the changing role and influence of agencies / media partners, impact of in-housing and the difficulties in proving the value of media to shareholders and executives (i.e. non marketers).
The goal: get the brightest minds in marketing in one room, learn from each other; followed by rooftop cocktails, appetizers & entertainment.
Space is limited. Let's do this.
Stephen Kim | Sr. Director, CIBC
Stephen is the Sr Director of Audience Personalization and Optimization at one of Canada’s largest banks, CIBC. With almost 20 yrs of Marketing and Technical experience, Stephen leads a team that uses data to make smart marketing decisions to drive sales. For the past 5 yrs, Stephen has focused on managing in-house talent to run digital media while using data to support and drive personalization, insights, and analytics. One of the key projects that he leads is to stand up a cloud based environment to house Big Data for the purpose of Marketing Automation and improving the client journey in an omni channel ecosystem.
How are agencies working with brands to drive growth? Are brands held back by the current media ecosystem?
Are the digital giants too influential with clients? Will we see the agency model change?
Are we set to see more in-house media units – planning or programmatic?
Are clients well equipped to manage in house execution?
Is the transparency issue behind us?
Moderated by Justin Lebbon | Director, Mediatel
Megan McCrae, Vice President, Marketing, Aphria
Megan McCrae is an experienced marketing professional with over 15 years of retail and CPG experience with a focus on marketing in highly regulated environments. Ms. McCrae currently leads the Marketing function at Aphria Inc., covering all aspects of brand, portfolio, innovation and marketing strategy across the medical, recreational, and wellness verticals. Prior to joining Aphria Inc., Ms. McCrae spent ten years working for global tobacco giant, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in various marketing and sales management roles in Canada, the USA, and Switzerland. Ms. McCrae holds a Business degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a B.A. from Western University. Ms. McCrae is currently Board Chair of the Cannabis Council of Canada, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Cannabis Partnership.
Moderated by Justin Lebbon, Mediatel
