Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends reveals class of 2026

TORONTO, February 25, 2026 — Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends, one of Canada’s most respected and renowned industry awards, is proud to announce this year’s inductees.

Canada’s newest Marketing Legends are:

• John Doig, former CMO, Scotiabank
• Elspeth Lynn, co-founder, partner and ECD, Unbound
• Mandeep Malik, associate professor and area chair, McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business
• Ian Mirlin, creative director, Crowdiate
• Mark Sherman, founder, Sherman Media Advisory

The Marketer-on-the-Rise award, part of Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends program, goes to Anita Ezediunor, director, CRM/email marketing, Canada Goose.  

“These marketers represent exceptional Canadians — each of them has influenced and elevated our industry at home and abroad,” says Max Rakov, president of AMA Toronto, the association that runs the awards program. “Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is proudly recognizing and celebrating their careers to supply inspiration, share wisdom, and help empower new leadership and business growth in our marketing community.”

Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends honours Canada’s greatest leaders who’ve had tremendous impact on the field of marketing throughout their careers — past, present, and future — inspiring the next generation while honouring the Legends of today. The Marketer-on-the-Rise award celebrates a “Legend-in-the-making.”

The award winners will be honoured and formally inducted by AMA Toronto in late May at an exclusive gala event in Toronto.

The inductees were carefully chosen from this year’s nominations by a 16-person selection committee made up of a distinguished, diverse group of marketing experts, including past inductees, brand and agency leaders. The selection committee was chaired again this year by David Pullara, a marketing consultant, Schulich School of Business marketing instructor, and member of AMA Toronto’s Advisory Council.

“Five of Canada’s most successful and accomplished marketers can now officially call themselves Legends,” says Pullara. “In our eyes, these brand, agency and academic leaders are this year’s marketing heroes. They’re creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who have made significant and positive contributions to our industry over decades, and we’re thrilled to formally recognize each of their significant achievements.”

After 22 years and over 100 inductees, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends has evolved into a unique and distinguished year-long program involving the award recipients, one that’s focused on mentorship, knowledge-sharing and inclusion. 

“The Legends program plays a positive role in the advancement and reputation of our industry,” says 2021 inductee and 2026 jury member Sharifa Khan, CEO and founder of Balmoral Multicultural Marketing. “I strongly believe that to inspire and develop the next generation of leaders in our industry, the stories and experiences of our most accomplished marketers need to be shared.”

Balmoral Multicultural Marketing, Canada’s most established, authentic, and awarded multicultural marketing agency, is the 2026 Title Sponsor of Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends. The program’s official media partner is Globe Media Group. 

About the 2026 award recipients

John Doig’s career spans more than three decades of senior leadership across Scotiabank. As CMO, his achievements include being a steward of “You’re Richer Than You Think”, being a key leader of Scene+, NHL partnerships, and leading one of the largest naming partnerships in history with MLSE – Scotiabank Arena. He has helped shape both financial services marketing and sports sponsorship in Canada. . He retired from Scotiabank in 2025. 

Elspeth Lynn is an international marketer with over 30 years of experience in Canada and the UK. Co-founding Zig in 1999, she challenged the status-quo of male-dominated advertising and pioneered a “media agnostic” approach to brand building. Her legacy includes the iconic 2005 IKEA “Start the Car” campaign and her mentorship of female creative talent. Today, at Unbound, her London-based agency, she continues to guide brand platforms for global clients. 

Mandeep Malik is an architect of experiential marketing education at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business. He has bridged the gap between academia and industry by founding the country’s largest student marketing accelerators. He is responsible for developing the Marketing, Advertising, Retail, and Sales (MARS) Apprentice program and introducing the Canadian Marketing League – a national competition with participation from over 30 business schools and integration into curricula.

Ian Mirlin’s career in advertising bridges 50 years. He worked with many iconic agencies and ran Harrod & Mirlin from 1987 to 2001, becoming one of Canada’s most awarded creative directors. Some of his famous campaigns include creating the famous TD Green Chair and the ‘Mr. Christie, you make good cookies’ work for Christie Brown. Presently, he instructs at OCAD and heads Crowdiate, an innovative, alternative agency that uses crowdsourcing to generate marketing ideas.

Mark Sherman, with a career covering more than four decades, is recognized as one of Canada’s most influential media pioneers. Reshaping how brands plan, buy and activate media, he founded Media Experts in 1981, growing it into the country’s largest independent media services agency. He continues to mentor leaders and advise organizations, extending his influence through board and advisory roles while reinforcing a legacy defined by innovation, leadership, service and philanthropy.  

Anita Ezediunor is a dynamic young marketer with nearly a decade of experience and progressive positions in CRM, digital and growth marketing for Canada Goose, Bell and Nestlé. Currently, she leads CRM marketing initiatives at Canada Goose and is focused on deepening customer relationships and increasing customer loyalty using AI-powered approaches. Beyond her marketing achievements, she is a dedicated mentor and advocate for women in leadership.

About Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends

Founded in 2004, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is the longest running career recognition program of its kind in Canadian marketing and honours inspiring Canadian leaders who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence in the field of marketing. The award’s year-round program, created to spotlight the stories, people and brands behind Canada’s greatest marketing successes, recognizes a noteworthy body of work and a life-time of achievements and leadership. Nominations for induction are held annually. Learn more here.

About AMA Toronto

AMA Toronto is a not-for-profit community of volunteer marketers who have been empowering leadership and business growth for nearly 75 years in Canada. With more than 30,000 members and 70 chapters across North America, the American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in the world, serving organizations and individuals who practice, teach and study marketing. Learn more here.

Legendary Quotes

“Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is not simply about recognition — it is about stewardship. As we welcome the Class of 2026, we are doing more than celebrating accomplishment — we are activating experience. Through our year-long program, these Legends will share hard-earned insights, candid lessons, and lived perspectives with the next generation of marketers. That continuity — from accomplishment to mentorship — is what strengthens our profession and ensures Canadian marketing continues to lead with creativity, integrity, and global impact.”

 – Jacob Kessler, VP, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends

“My 27 years at Scotiabank taught me many things – but probably the most important – and thankfully I learned it very early on – this work is a Team Sport.  Being inducted to Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is a personal honour but more importantly a much broader recognition of the high performing team of brilliant marketers, brand architects, researchers, and partnership experts who contributed and who most definitely have their fingerprints all over it.” 

 – John Doig

“This is truly an honour. But no woman is an island. I am here because I have worked with brilliant partners, mentors, colleagues and contributors every step of the way.”

– Elspeth Lynn 

“Being inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is most humbling and deeply meaningful to me. I am truly grateful and incredibly honoured to be in the company of such extraordinary individuals who have shaped our industry across Canada. I owe this to my students, colleagues, and many collaborators in industry who made my work possible and deserving of this honour — so many believed in me and inspired me every step of the way.”

– Mandeep Malik

“To have been honoured with an award like this, at my time of life, means the world to me.” 

 – Ian Mirlin

“It is an incredible honour to be welcomed into the Hall alongside Canada’s most influential marketers and entrepreneurs. As the first independent media services practitioner to receive this recognition, I’m especially humbled. Any success I’ve achieved has been powered by the exceptional teams who stood with me—whose passion, ingenuity, and care shaped Media Experts and everything we accomplished together.”

 – Mark Sherman

“I’m genuinely humbled to be inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends, and still a little amused that a career that began in brand building, then somehow evolved into caring way too much about clicks and unsubscribe rates, has brought me here. This recognition really belongs to the brilliant teams I’ve learned from and built alongside, and to a career guided by one simple principle: always putting the customer first.”

– Anita Ezediunor

Quick Facts

• Since 2004, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends has inducted 122 Canadian luminaries and 13 Marketers-on-the-Rise.
• Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends is more than an award show recognizing career achievements, it is a unique year-long program involving award recipients. The program includes events, blogs, and the video podcast series “Legends Journey: Lessons in Leadership.”
• Progressive changes in 2021 transformed the awards program to better serve and reflect the diverse character of our marketing community. The selection committee, nomination and selection processes were revamped to have a more inclusive focus on all sectors of the industry.
• 2025 inductees included Michael Adams, co-founder and president, Environics Research Group; Joanna Griffiths, founder and president, Knix; Mark Harrison, founder, MH3 Collective; Serge Rancourt, co-founder, The Grid; Ted (Theo) Rosnick, former creative director, Vapor Music (Enabler). View all inductees. The 2025 Marketer-on-the-Rise was Michael Forsyth, marketing director, potato brands, PepsiCo Foods Canada.

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