Jo-Ann McArthur, president & COO, pigeon* branding + design, Oakville

No stranger to big brands and leadership positions, since late last year Jo-Ann McArthur has been the president of design firm pigeon. Her mandate? Quite simply to grow the business and profile of the agency. She likely will. At Molson Coors, where she was president of Molson Sports and Entertainment for five years, she was behind ‘SARS Fest,’ which wooed the Rolling Stones to Canada in an attempt to re-image Toronto following the breakout of the virus, and led the Molson Indy to its first increase in public ticket sales in over four years, with sales up 13%. The resume of her work experience reads like a who’s who of big-name brands, including P&G, Chesebrough-Ponds and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges.

Beyond the boardroom:

* She helped found the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada, and continues to serve as its chair. She also sits on the board of the Empire Club of Canada.