Atlantic Canada's Largest Digital Marketing Conference

Speaker Bio: Terry O'Reilly
Radio Host, Marketing Expert

Long before he had a radio show, Terry was an award- winning writer at Canada’s top advertising agencies. Creating campaigns for top brands such as Labatt, Bell, Nissan and the Hudson’s Bay Company.

In 1990, Terry co-founded Pirate Radio & Television with eight recording studios in Toronto and New York City.

In 2005, he became the host of the CBC Radio One/WBEZ Chicago radio show, Under The Influence, with over one million listeners a week. His podcast has been downloaded over 75 million times.

He has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and has been granted Honorary Degrees from three Canadian universities. Terry has written three books, the latest is “My Best Mistake” about people who made catastrophic career decisions - but it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to them.

He has a wonderful wife and three lovely daughters. Who like some of this work.

Speaker Bio: Susan Charles

Brand Strategy Lead

With half of her life dedicated to Brand Strategy and Advertising, Susan brings a wealth of experience and insight to every project. She strives for balance in life, finding joy in running and then rewarding herself with a delicious slice of pizza.

"The Key to Context All Roads Lead Through Reddit"
Blake Smith
Sales Lead, Mid Market Canada

Blake is the Sales Lead for Mid-Market Canada, overseeing sales and marketing strategy across a segment of our Canadian ecosystem of clients and agency partners. Prior to joining Reddit, Blake spent the last seven and a half years at Meta/Facebook, supporting their Disruptors, SaaS, and eCommerce verticals as an Industry Manager. While at Meta/Facebook, he also worked in global product marketing leadership roles to launch and scale ad solutions across both brand and direct response. Blake also spent at Twitter, AdParlor, and BlackBerry in product marketing and management positions. Blake lives in the Toronto area and is a proud dad to his three year old daughter Chloe, dog dad to his nine year old goldendoodle Tucker, and happily married to his husband Eric. He can be found enjoying the outdoors, and loves to spend time with family and friends. Blake's favourite reddit community is r/daddit.

Speaker Bio: Meredith McKeough

Client Partner, Retail

Speaker Bio: Joe Teo

CEO

Joe is the CEO of HeyOrca - a social media scheduler for teams and agencies.

Speaker Bio: Lindsey Tracey

Head of Industry - Growth (Retail, CPG, Ecommerce, Services)

Lindsey Tracey is the Head of Industry for the Growth team at TikTok Canada. Her team specializes in Retail, CPG/Dining, Ecommerce and Services, focused on helping advertisers achieve business goals through the TikTok's advertising suite.

Speaker Bio: Catherine Dubois

Customer Success Manager, Smartmail Marketing

Catherine Dubois is Customer Success Manager at Canada Post, helping Canada’s largest beauty and fashion retailers achieve their business objectives through the power of direct mail. Her passion falls behind data and finding the perfect audience. Prior to joining Canada Post, she led integrated marketing campaigns and product development for international brands such as Pelican Sport, Sustana and Nordica, for both the Canadian and USA markets.

Speaker Bio: Richard Wong

Senior Account Executive

Richard currently leads the Home and Kitchen Partnerships at Amazon Ads, where he works with marketers and their agency teams to best utilize Amazon’s advertising solutions. He has been a contributor and has been featured in AdWeek, DigiDay, Media in Canada, AMA, eMarketer, and DX3. His past roles include brand management at Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Google, #paid (an influencer marketing platform) and LinkedIn. Richard is also an instructor and teaches digital marketing at several schools, including University of Toronto and other tech schools. He is also an executive board member of the Ad Standards in Canada and the Digital Marketing Sector Council.

Speaker Bio: Geoffrey Blanc

General Manager

Geoffrey has developed a proven expertise over 18 years in digital, notably in e-commerce and ERP implementation. Today, as the General Manager of Cyberimpact, Geoffrey continues to propel this email marketing platform to new heights, with his strategic leadership and experience.

Speaker Bio: Nicole Vair

Marketing & Communications Manager

Nicole is journalist turned marketing professional that is passionate about brand storytelling. She currently works for Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency and has led provincial marketing campaigns for the YMCA and Horizon Health Network. During her time at the YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick, she was a member of the National Brand Council for YMCA Canada.

Speaker Bio: Jake MacDonald

Social Media Advisor

When Jake MacDonald made the jump from journalism to communications, he thought social media was just something that people did off the side of their desks. That all changed when he was hired by the Trailer Park Boys to manage their social media, getting paid to curse and swear online with an international following in the millions. He somehow transitioned to government communications, where he does the same job, except completely differently.

Stephen Fleiszer
Co-Founder

Steve Fleiszer is the Co-Founder of Space Creatorz, a full service digital marketing agency. Both fuelled by working in toxic environments and the birth of their son, Steve and his partner Janette were inspired to create a business where work meant a happy, healthy experience that enhances their lives rather than taking away from them. Steve's ability to provide clear, compelling and concise messaging can be seen first hand through his regular posting of insights and thought provoking questions on LinkedIn.

"Beyond Likes And Follows: Crafting Impactful Influencer Marketing Strategies"
Umair Tazeem
Founder, CEO

Umair Tazeem is the Founder and CEO of Embold, a Canadian influencer marketing platform he started in 2018. With his guidance, Embold has become a successful startup in Calgary, aiming to make influencer marketing more accessible to businesses in Canada. Before Embold, Umair worked in marketing and business development, giving him a strong background to help clients succeed with influencer marketing.

Speaker Bio: Ingrid Deon

Founder and CEO

Ingrid Deon, Founder and CEO of word-craft, started her business in 2019 after having worked at a digital marketing agency in Halifax/Toronto for 3+ years. Today, word-craft is a team of six talented women who work with 25 clients both locally and nationally, such as Nestlé Canada, Manulife and Fatso peanut butter.

Speaker Bio: Sophie Brooks

CEO & Founder

A veteran with over 20 years of experience in performance marketing. Recently Performance Marketing Director at D2L and previously Managing Director for Tug Toronto. Sophie recently founded Raven Performance, a radically transparent Digital Marketing Agency based in New Brunswick & Ontario.

Speaker Bio: Levi Lawrence

Managing Partner

An experienced entrepreneur and digital transformation specialist, Levi leverages over 15 years of expertise in e-commerce, systems adoption, organizational design and operational efficiency to help businesses thrive. He is deeply geeky on making things work WITH and FOR the people involved, not just the business.

Speaker Bio: Sabaa Quao

Chief Creative and Innovation Officer

Sabaa Quao is the Chief Creative and Innovation Officer at Cossette, Canada's largest integrated marketing and advertising agency. Cossette's work reaches 95% of the Canadian population every day. He is also the co-founder of Wealthie Works Daily, a financial literacy and wealth management startup being built for kids and families. Sabaa has spent the last 30 years building and growing platforms and companies across the tech, content, and culture space.

Speaker Bio: Ronnie Malewski

Managing Director

Ronnie Malewski is the Managing Director of NPD Canada leading their expansion into Canada. He has more than 19 years of experience in digital marketing having spent his career prior at WPP and Dentsu. He’s helped both SMB’s and enterprise brands grow their businesses. He’s worked with major brands like Adidas, Coca Cola, General Motors, Loblaws, and Microsoft. He is involved in the local marketing community as a speaker, a mentor, and chairman for community work. He is a proud father and husband and an investor in various start-ups.

Speaker Bio: Joshua Counsil

Co-Founder

Josh is a recovering engineer turned entrepreneur. In 2014, he and his buddies quit their engineering careers and founded Good Robot Brewing in Halifax, which started with a scrappy brewpub and grew into 3 bars, export wholesales, and contract manufacturing services. In 2023, he entered the freelance world, offering marketing & brand consultancy to anyone seeking his unhinged storytelling style.

Speaker Bio: Allison Davis

Content & Community Director

Allison Davis is the Community & Content Director at The 7 Virtues, where she manages the social media and content for the brand. With a degree in Public Relations and an agency background, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Additionally, Allison is a content creator, sharing her life in Halifax on TikTok and producing UGC for brands like Hersheys and Frescados.

Panel: How Purpose-Driven Brands Foster Authentic Connections

Speaker Bio: Hannah Graham Rose

Director of Enterprise Sales

Hannah Graham Rose is a seasoned professional currently serving as the Director of Enterprise Sales at Dash Hudson, where she has been an integral part of the team for over six years. As Director of Enterprise Sales, Hannah leads efforts to expand strategic partnerships and drive revenue growth for some of the world's largest brands. Most importantly, Hannah is a dedicated mother to two young children, aged 1 and 3.

Panel: "How Purpose-Driven Brands Foster Authentic Connections"
Taylor Stokal
Director of Marketing at Cove Drinks

Panel: Driving Innovation in Atlantic Canada
Hannah Gauthier
Senior Analyst, Advertising

Hannah has deep expertise in B2B SaaS digital advertising, spanning SEM and social platforms, from Google and Bing to LinkedIn and Meta. Her biggest strength is her ability to see patterns where others see complexity—in audiences, data, or platforms. Alongside her team and clients, Hannah crafts audience-first digital advertising programs focused on generating valuable leads and making a meaningful impact on business KPIs.

Panel: Driving Innovation in Atlantic Canada
Speaker Bio: Marty Stevens

Executive Vice President, Believeco

An experienced marketing professional, Marty has worked in public and private sector environments. Prior to moving into professional services in 2019, Marty held senior leadership positions with Bell Canada, Atlantic Lottery Corporation and Tourism Nova Scotia. Marty’s business experience has provided the opportunity to lead successful transformation and corporate renewal initiatives across distinct sectors in telecommunications, lottery and gaming and tourism. She has an excellent track record for translating vision into actions; leading others to succeed in strategy development and execution; and strives when faced with ambiguity and navigating market pressures. Marty holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University, executive leadership training with Queen’s University, is certified bilingual and an active community volunteer and board member.