Mike Welling, president, Doug Agency

Mike Welling is a CPG vet, principally with Unilever. During his 18 years with the company, Welling worked on such brands as Becel and Dove. Last month he became president of Toronto-based Doug Agency.

Niraj Dawar, R.A. Barford professor of marketing, Ivey Business School

Niraj Dawar teaches graduate courses on brand and marketing strategy at the school’s locations in London, Ont. and Hong Kong and at INSEAD in France and Singapore. He’s been published in The Harvard Business Review.

Philippe Garneau, partner/ECD, GWP Brand Engineering

Philippe Garneau helped found GWP to ‘invent what will replace the traditional advertising agency.’ He has spent the past 10 years creating and growing ‘Big Idea’ brands that also challenge the status quo, such as ING Direct.

Alan Kay, president, Glasgow Group

Before starting the Glasgow Group, Alan Kay was MD of Harrod & Mirlin. Today, he focuses on strategic branding consulting for such clients as Bell and IBM. He also teaches executive development at York’s Schulich School of Business.

Susan McGibbon, partner, Chemistry

Susan McGibbon co-founded Chemistry, a consultancy that helps companies link brand strategy to organizational performance and customer experience. She was previously the director of Taxi High Beam. She has also been director of marketing for Ikea Canada.