CMA announces two key senior appointments
The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) has appointed Barry Alexander as its new chief marketing and diversity officer, and Natasha Upal as its new chief membership and learning officer.
“They are seasoned marketing and partnership executives with senior expertise in marketing, customer engagement, strategy, business development and learning,” says Alison Simpson, the CMA’s president and CEO. “They will significantly strengthen our capacity to serve our members, deepen engagement and help advance CMA’s vision as the voice of marketing in Canada.”
Alexander most recently served as VP of brand marketing at Knix, where he helped the apparel brand scale into the United States. Prior to his work at Knix, he held senior marketing roles with Iovate Health Sciences, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Maple Leaf Foods and Molson. He has previously served as a CMA Awards judge, and is a member and mentor of the Black Talent Initiative.
Upal has experience working globally to develop brands, scale businesses, source new revenue opportunities, and drive results through strategy built on data analytics and customer insights.
Her most recent role was VP of marketing and growth, for the social networking app, Clover. Previously to her Clover work, Upal’s roles included marketing leadership positions at Financeit, Aviva Insurance, Yahoo Europe and British Telecommunications.
The CMA revealed the appointments after announcing last week that its VP of member experience, Lucy Collin, will retire at the end of this year. Collin has worked with the CMA since early 2016, taking on her current VP job in 2020.
The Mars Agency adds a managing director
Independently owned, global commerce marketing practice The Mars Agency has hired Victoria Cromie as managing director for its Toronto office.
Reporting to Darren Keen, CEO of international markets for The Mars Agency, Cromie will be responsible for leading the strategy development aimed at elevating the company’s brand and deepening its understanding of the Canadian commerce market. She will also be tasked with enhancing the company’s shopper-centric approach by elevating the agency’s ecommerce and retail media capabilities with deeper use of analytics and insights.
Cromie joined this month from gym equipment maker, Spieth America, where she was marketing director for the company’s North America operation. Her career has included executive positions at such media agencies as UM Canada, Innocean Worldwide Canada, Mindshare, PHD and Carat.
[Cromie] has deep experience in heightening brand visibility and driving revenue through audience engagement,” Keen says. “She is an incredible match to lead The Mars Agency’s strategic growth in the fast-growing retail media space.”
The Mars Agency counts among its clients Sunlight-maker Henkel, Conagra and Campbell’s.
Santis Health names new senior VP of comms
Public affairs, strategic advisory, policy and communications consultancy Santis Health has announced that Nancy Dale has joined as senior VP of communications.
“With a track record of crafting effective messages, building compelling communications plans and sparking meaningful conversation, [Dale] has built an unparalleled reputation as a dedicated, empathetic and results-driven communicator,” says Patrick Nelson, managing partner at Santis Health, adding that Dale will lend her expertise in “public relations, crisis communications, media training and marketing.”
Before joining Santis, Dale led the health practices at Agnostic and National PR. Her agency highlights include the launch of Telus Health’s virtual care services.
Santis Health clients have included the Ontario Medical Association, Niagara Health, and the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia.
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