Canada's Marketing Hall of Legends

Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends announces 2023 award winners

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TORONTOMarch 6, 2023 – Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends (CMHOL), one of Canada’s most respected and renowned industry awards, is pleased to announce the inauguration of six new Marketing Legends and this year’s Marketer-on-the-Rise.

Canada’s newest Marketing Legends are:

  • Lisa Lisson, SVP of hubs, ramps, and global operations control, FedEx
  • Noel O’Dea, president and founder, Target Marketing and Communications Inc.
  • Sandra Sanderson, SVP, marketing, Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc.
  • Chris Staples, founding partner, Rethink Communications
    Ian Grais, founding partner, Rethink Communications
    Tom Shepansky, founding partner, Rethink Communications


The 2023 Marketer-on-the-Rise is Hyla Nayeri and Adrien Bettio, founders of the meteoric 437 Swimwear, a luxury swimwear and apparel brand launched in 2017.

“These diverse marketers have each elevated our industry in Canada and on the world stage,” says Barbara Boyd, president of AMA Toronto, the association that runs CMHOL. “Through the Marketing Hall of Legends, we celebrate and recognize their remarkable leadership, vision, and achievements.”

Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends honours the industry’s most inspiring visionaries, enablers, builders and mentors who’ve had tremendous impact on the field of marketing throughout their careers. The Marketer-on-the-Rise award celebrates Canada’s top up-and-comers — the next generation of influential marketing leaders.

The award winners will be honoured and formally inducted by AMA Toronto on May 10 at an exclusive in-person gala event.

Canada's Marketing Hall of Legends 2023

The 2023 Marketing Legends were carefully chosen from this year’s nominations by a selection committee made up of a distinguished and diverse group of marketing experts. The selection committee was chaired by 2020 Legend inductee Nancy Marcus, former chief marketing officer at Kruger Products and one of Canada’s most recognized marketing professionals in the consumer-packaged goods industry.

“This year’s inductees into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends are all exceptional trailblazers,” says Marcus. “They represent a diverse mix of men and women from St. John’s to Vancouver, from agencies, brands, and differing marketing disciplines.”

The 2023 award recipients include “Staples, Grais & Shepansky,” the founders of Rethink Communications, the first business trio inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends. Lisson is the first marketing leader from the transportation sector to be honoured by CMHOL, and Sanderson becomes the first woman from the grocery retail industry to be become a Legend. Also, O’Dea, best known for his company’s poetic brand campaigns for Newfoundland and Labrador, becomes the first marketer from the province to be inaugurated.

“For nearly 20 years, the Marketing Hall of Legends has been evolving with the marketing sector,” says Jacob Kessler, VP, CMHOL, AMA Toronto. “Today, the award proudly reflects a mosaic of marketing talent from coast to coast, but remains a once-in-a-lifetime, one-of-a-kind achievement. Only a handful Legends are named each year, making the honour a highly-coveted mark of distinction.”

In addition to their induction into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends, award winners will participate in AMA Toronto’s popular Legendary Leadership Series of live events, featured CMHOL content, and the new video series “Legend’s Journey.”

“We are happy to support and celebrate this year’s class and all their contributions to the industry. We hope it helps inspire the next generation of leaders in the Canadian marketing industry,” says 2022 inductee Zak Mroueh, Founder and Creative Chairman of Zulu Alpha Kilo.

Zulu Alpha Kilo, one of the most recognized and awarded independent creative agency networks in the world, is the 2023 presenting sponsor of Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends. AMA Toronto partners that also support CMHOL chapter events include Lulu Marketing Communications and the Globe Media Group.

About Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends

Founded in 2004, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends honours inspiring Canadian leaders who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence in the field of marketing. The award, 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.

About AMA Toronto

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

Legendary Quotes

“I am truly honoured to be inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends. I’m so fortunate to serve as a leader in work that I am passionate about at FedEx, and being acknowledged for this work means so much to me. It’s even more exciting to accept this award as FedEx celebrates its 50th anniversary, knowing that I’ve been able to make an impact on the strides we’ve made in Canada while serving the communities our team lives and works in. Thank you so much, AMA Toronto, for this honour.”

– Lisa LissonSVP of hubs, ramps, and global operations control, FedEx

“We set out to make our moms proud – and our clients famous. We took the road less travelled, here in the most creative place on the planet. Newfoundland is our inspiration, and Target’s indispensable competitive advantage. We absolutely love what we do. Thank you.”

– Noel O’Dea, president and founder, Target Marketing and Communications Inc.

“Marketing has undergone extraordinary change in recent years. I count myself lucky to have played a role in its transformation, as brands strive to meet customers ever-evolving needs. It’s an honor to be inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends, and to be able to continue to do the work I love at a remarkable company. Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees!”

– Sandra SandersonSVP, marketing, Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc.

“We are so honored to be the first trio inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends. There’s never been a CEO at Rethink— we believe our shared leadership model featuring all sides of the business has been a crucial factor in our success.”

– Chris Staples, Ian Grais & Tom Shepanskyfounding partners, Rethink Communications

Quick Facts
  • Since 2004, CMHOL has inducted over 100 Canadian luminaries.
  • To be inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends, a candidate must be shown to have dedicated their career to the pursuit of excellence in the field of marketing. The Legend Award honours a body of work and a lifetime of achievements in marketing, including contributions that have made our community a better place.
  • Last year, CMHOL inducted Chris Lang, former chairman, Lang Partnerships Network; Zak Mroueh, founder and chief creative officer, Zulu Alpha Kilo;
    Brenda Pritchard, partner, Gowling WLG; Dani Reiss, president and CEO, Canada Goose Inc.; and Edie Weiss, president and CEO, Radke Film Group. The 2022 Marketer-on-the-Rise was Marie Chevrier Schwartz, founder and CEO of Sampler, a leading digital product-sampling company.
  • Progressive changes in 2021 transformed CMHOL to better serve and reflect the diverse character of the marketing community. The selection committee and the nomination and selection processes were revamped, and a more inclusive focus on all sectors of the industry was initiated.
 
Associated Links

https://ama-toronto.com/blog/cmhol-announces-selection-committee/

For further information: please contact: Robert MacLean, VP, Public Relations, AMA Toronto, rob.maclean@ama-toronto.com, (416) 817-4259; Elvina Bulatova, Manager, Public Relations, AMA Toronto, elvina.bulatova@ama-toronto.com, (437) 983-0301

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