The selection process for Marketing‘s inaugural 30 Under 30 program began with a call for entries in late May. By the time submissions closed July 6, more than 250 nominations had been made with another small group invited to take part by the Marketing editorial staff. After a first round of review by the editorial team, a shortlist of about 70 finalists were asked to submit additional information about their careers and cause-related endeavours away from the office. Those expanded submissions were reviewed by the editorial team along with three industry leaders to determine the final 30.
We asked our three judges to share their thoughts on the entries for Marketing‘s inaugural 30 Under 30.
“I’m impressed by the number of nominees who have taken risks so early in their careers to start their own business or work for a start-up company. The web and social media have opened the door for this generation to take an idea and run with it, with little startup cost – creating more entrepreneurial minds than this country has ever seen before. The future looks very bright.” – Ari Aronson, founder and executive recruiter, Ari Agency Inc.
“I was really impressed by the quality and scope of credentials of the nominees. From a digital perspective, it was enlightening to see how many of these notable folks were leading the charge in social and mobile marketing. The people who stood out were social and tech savvy marketers with an entrepreneurial edge and social consciousness.” – Shelley Middlebrook, VP, integrated advertising, Postmedia
“It was fantastic being part of this year’s 30 Under 30 selection process. I got an in-depth look at the business landscape in Canada at large, not just Toronto; and as an agency that’s relatively new in Canada with innovation and entrepreneurialism at our core, it was wonderful to see the breadth and depth of individual talent in this country. Truly world class.” – Franke Rodriguez, president, Anomaly Toronto
