AMA TORONTO ANNOUNCES 2016 INDUCTEES TO CANADA’S MARKETING HALL OF LEGENDS

AMA Toronto announces 2016 inductees to Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends

Arthur Fleischmann, Arkadi Kuhlmann,
Richard Peddie, Bob Peter named to Hall

TORONTO – (Jan. 10, 2017) – The Toronto chapter of the American Marketing Association today announced its 2016 inductees to Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends – four visionary professionals whose game-changing insights and leadership have forged innovative paths to success and growth in their respective fields.

Named as 2016 inductees to Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends are: Arthur Fleischmann, president and co-founder of award-winning agency john st.; Arkadi Kuhlmann, founder of ING DIRECT Canada; Richard Peddie, former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and former CEO of the Toronto Raptors; and Bob Peter, former president and CEO of the LCBO and former president of The Bay.

The 2016 inductees named today will be honoured during AMA Toronto’s annual gala event on March 3, 2017 at 7 pm at Toronto’s historic Arcadian Court, 401 Bay St., Toronto.

“AMA Toronto is truly proud and honored to name these four outstanding individuals to Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends,” said Tania Stadnik, President of the AMA’s Toronto chapter. “Original thinkers, brilliant strategists and industrious leaders, they have each earned their place as legends whose remarkable work through the years has produced unforgettable success stories. We warmly and enthusiastically welcome Arthur Fleischmann, Arkadi Kuhlmann, Richard Peddie and Bob Peter to the Marketing Hall of Legends.”

The Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends, established in 2004, is dedicated to honouring Canadians who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence in the field of marketing. The criteria for selection includes the overall impact that marketing professionals have demonstrated in the Canadian or global marketplace through their ideas and contributions to marketing and brand building.

“I’m thrilled to be named to the Marketing Hall of Legends in the Mentor category,” said inductee Richard Peddie. “It’s always special to be included in a great team of proven professionals. This recognition is very special to me as I have tried to devote my entire career to being a student of leadership and helping develop future leaders.”

“I am honored that the AMA Toronto, itself an innovative and forward-thinking organization, has added me to its ranks,” said inductee Arkadi Kuhlmann, Founder and CEO, Zenbanx. “Thank you for this amazing privilege.”

“I’m pleased to be named to the Marketing Hall of Legends with this distinguished group of marketing professionals,” said inductee Bob Peter, former president and CEO of the LCBO and former president of The Bay. “To be acknowledged in this manner for my career achievements is a great source of pride and I offer sincere thanks to the Toronto chapter of the AMA.”


The 2016 Marketing Hall of Legends inductees

The Mentor – Richard Peddie. 
The former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and former CEO of the Toronto Raptors, Richard spent 41 years in the consumer products, broadcasting and sports-and-entertainment fields. His leadership, insights and guidance while overseeing six companies over 28 of those years were instrumental in growing such iconic brands as Colgate, Hostess, TSN, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Richard was president and CEO of MLSE for 14 very busy years. From building the Air Canada Centre and BMO Field, launching Leafs TV and Raptors TV, to bringing Major League Soccer to Canada, launching TFC and building Toronto’s $500-million Maple Leaf Square, he helped grow the company from an enterprise value of $300 million to $2 billion.

The Enabler – Arthur Fleischmann
As partner, president and CEO of award-winning agency john st., Arthur has come a long way from the streets of Queens, NY. His career included stints in sales (Xerox) and marketing (Kraft/General Foods) before deciding on a life in advertising. In starting john st. in 2001, his goal was to create a “creative collaborative” agency without the silos, bureaucracy or territorialism he’d seen in his previous lives. He believes creativity is a powerful business tool and has led his team to win more advertising effectiveness awards than any other agency in the last decade. Arthur is also a passionate advocate for children with autism and his best-selling book, Carly’s Voice, has been translated into seven languages.

The Builder – Bob Peter
Over the course of his 48-year retail career, Bob has helped shape, innovate and grow two of Canada’s leading and best-known retail organizations – Hudson’s Bay Company and the LCBO. His distinguished career in Canadian retailing has included leadership roles as president and CEO of the LCBO, president of The Bay, chairman of Bay Specialty Stores and executive vice-president of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His leadership role at the LCBO included unprecedented initiatives to expand its store network, improve customer service and modernize logistics, while positioning the LCBO as a recognized leader in philanthropy, environmental sustainability, responsible retailing and corporate social responsibility.


The Visionary – Arkadi Kuhlmann
The founder and CEO of Zenbanx, Arkadi’s vocation and avocation as the ‘CEO of Savings’ has been to reinvent and revitalize consumers’ relationships with their money. A banking entrepreneur and industry pioneer, he introduced the world to direct banking with a simplified customer focus when he founded ING DIRECT Canada in 1996. He repeated that Canadian success story in 2000 by founding ING DIRECT USA, today the largest US savings bank and number one direct bank, with about 8 million customers. In 2012, Arkadi founded Zenbanx, a simple and secure mobile solution for saving, exchanging, sending or spending currencies internationally and domestically, and began creating the next generation of global, mobile banking. With the launch of Zenbanx in Canada and the US in 2015, Arkadi officially assumed the moniker ‘CEO of multi-currency saving.’

For details about Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends, or to purchase tickets for the Hall of Legends Gala on March 3, 2017, please visit www.amamarketinghalloflegends.ca.

About AMA Toronto
The Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) is a not-for-profit community of volunteer marketers who have been creating opportunities for personal and business growth for more than 60 years in Canada. The AMA, with more than 20,000 members, is the largest marketing association in the world, serving organizations and individuals who practice, teach and study marketing across the globe. To learn more about the Toronto chapter of the AMA please visit www.AMA Toronto.com.


About the Marketing Hall of Legends
Founded in 2004, the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends is dedicated to honouring Canadians 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. Nominations for induction are held annually and nominees are evaluated by an independent panel of top marketing professionals.