Ten of the industry’s biggest thinkers and influencers were honoured Friday night as inductees into the Marketing Hall of Legends.
After the inductees were originally named in December, the industry gathered at Toronto’s Andrew Richard Designs Building to celebrate the lucky 10 with gala celebration. The inductees included:
Visionaries (entrepreneurs and founders of enduring brands)
• Aldo Bensadoun – founder and executive chairman, The Aldo Group
• Lise Watier – founder, Lise Watier Cosmétiques
Builders (those who carry forward enduring brands)
• John Betts – president and CEO, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd.
• Bonnie Brooks – president, Hudson’s Bay Company
• Ivan Fecan – CEO, CTV (Retired)
Enablers (communications professionals with a proven record of excellence)
• Hugh Dow – president, M2 Universal (Retired)
• Jack Bensimon – president, Bensimon Byrne
• David Kincaid – founder, managing partner and CEO, Level5 Strategy Group
• Rick Padulo – chairman and CEO, Padulo Integrated Inc.
Mentor
• Stéfan Danis – chief talent officer and CEO, Mandrake
Alongside such long-serving veterans, Serena Ally, an account manager at Facebook, was named this year’s Marketer on the Rise at the ninth annual gala.
The award cemented Ally — already a veteran with six years in digital marketing under her belt — as an up-and-comer who has led the way in best-in-class practices and creative ideas and has also found ways to give back to her industry. Facebook hired Ally in March of last year and liaises with Facebook’s clients and their agencies to help them perfect their social marketing strategies.
This year’s Marketer on the Rise was chosen by a public vote held by the Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Voters picked among five worthy candidates who had each spent five to 15 years in the business and together represented the brightest lights among marketing firms.
The other finalist candidates included Brian Wong, founder and CEO of Kiip; Derek Blais, senior art director of BBDO Toronto; Pascal Dessureault, manager of corporate and public affairs for TD Bank Group; and Taxi account manager Yousuf Afridid.
The Marketer on the Rise award comes as the American Marketing Association and The Marketing Hall of Legends of Canada put the finishing touches on a new mentorship initiative, Mentor Exchange 2.0. A nine-month program with accreditation through York University’s Schulich Executive Education Centre that is set to be launched July 2014, the mentorship is envisioned as a way to establish lifelong connections between rising business professionals and mentors who can help them develop their entrepreneurial and creative skills.
The program will harness the leadership of Marketing Hall of Legends Inductees. Leaders in the advertising, marketing and communications fields will be asked to nominate individuals as part of a three-stage selection process beginning in April 2014.
