Ann Boden, President, OMD Canada, Toronto

Ann Boden entered the advertising business in Toronto with Ogilvy & Mather and spent the majority of her career in media with McKim Advertising, before it became BBDO Canada.

In 1998, Boden was appointed president of OMD Canada, the largest media operation in the country, with media billings of $980 million in 2000. Over her career, Boden has worked on virtually every brand category in advertising. Her retail experience includes clients such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, LensCrafters, Dairy Queen and Sears Canada.

For many years Boden has been a leader in the advertising industry. She is a past president of the Broadcast Executives Society and, in recent years, she has been president of the Canadian Media Directors Council (CMDC), chairman of the Canadian Outdoor Association, and vice-chairman of BBM Bureau of Measurement. She currently serves on the board of the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB).

Boden is also a regular lecturer and guest speaker to the industry on media issues and future trends.

Bruce Claassen, President and CEO, Genesis Media, Toronto

Bruce Claassen has been CEO of Genesis Media for the past nine years, and in that time Genesis has become the largest Canadian-owned media independent in the country.

He launched one of the first Internet divisions in 1995, an initiative that eventually became one of Canada’s largest Internet advertising networks, Clickthrough Interactive, now 24/7 Media. He has expanded his media services company into marketing research and consulting, as well as direct response media. He is also a major shareholder in Innatrex, a new metrics and database technology firm being listed on the CDNX next month.

Virginia Dymott, Media Director, Due North Communications, Toronto

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Virginia Dymott started her career in 1979 in the media department of Spitzer, Mills & Bates. She was soon recruited by Media Investment Service as AOR manager.

In 1985, Dymott joined McCann-Erickson as manager, broadcast media, where her responsibilities included broadcast negotiations for the agency’s entire client roster. In 1988, her leadership in developing McCann’s media product was recognized with a promotion to associate media director. The following year, Dymott was appointed vice-president, and in 1992, she became national media director for the agency.

Since joining Due North in 1993, she has managed the agency’s media planning and buying, as well as leading the entire Columbia TriStar account.

Kathy Gardner, Vice-President, Director of Media Operations, Bates Canada, Toronto

Kathy Gardner’s key role at Bates Canada is to ensure that effective communications convey the very essence of a brand, to the proper target, in the proper fashion, at the proper time.

Gardner’s breadth of experience ranges from retail to packaged goods, and since joining Bates in 1987, she has made a commitment to the ongoing enhancement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Bates media operation. Included in her roster of client responsibilities are: Hyundai, Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada, Imperial Tobacco, Pfizer Canada and Sunkist.

Prior to joining Bates Canada, Gardner honed her negotiating and client skills at J. Walter Thompson and McKim Advertising. In addition to her agency responsibilities, Gardner is past president of the Broadcast Research Council and a member of the Nielsen Advisory Board.

Carol Ann Kairns, Vice-President, Media, BCP, Montreal

A McGill University graduate, Carol Ann Kairns has been with BCP since 1989. With over 20 years’ experience, she has steadily climbed the advertising ladder and is currently overseeing the media planning and buying teams for all of BCP’s clients.

Originally trained as a buyer, Kairns eventually developed an interest for the planning side of the business. She has a keen understanding of client needs, as well as the strengths, weaknesses and target audiences of various media alternatives. Co-operation, innovation and creativity are the keys to effective media strategies, and Kairns negotiates with the clients’ objectives in mind, constantly customizing her proposals to better serve their needs.

Tim Monaghan, Vice-President, Media Director, Cossette Media, Vancouver

Tim Monaghan has been immersed in the Vancouver media industry for more than 15 years. Since joining Cossette, Monaghan has been pivotal in Cossette Media’s development, fostering growth in both the traditional and non-traditional media forums. Cossette Media clients include McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, Tourism British Columbia and Crystal Decisions (formerly Seagate Software).

Past president of the Vancouver Media Directors’ Council and current member of BCIT’s Advisory Committee, Monaghan is also a contributor of articles on emerging media trends and insights to industry publications Strategy and Marketing.

Célyne Moo-Sang, Vice-President, Media, Groupaction/JWT, Montreal

Célyne Moo-Sang has spent close to 20 years in marketing. She has direct experience in a variety of sectors, including the client side (Gillette, 1989-1990), promotions (Promo-Marketing, 1988) and advertising research (IV-P Marketing, 1994). Moo-Sang’s last five years were spent on the General Motors account. She first worked on the account from Initiative Media (now M2 Universal), where the national account is planned, then moved to Cossette’s Montreal office in 1997 where she worked on the GM Quebec account as group media director.

Previously, Moo-Sang led media planning for Air Canada (Canada and U.S.) and worked on various pharmaceutical accounts through agencies in Montreal. Moo-Sang joined her present agency, Groupaction/JWT, in October, 2000.

Darryl Nicholson, Media Director, Ammirati Puris, Toronto

Darryl Nicholson began his media career in Toronto in 1990. Over the course of the past 11 years he has done tours of duty at Initiative Media, BBDO and Media Buying Services.

He has extensive experience in the retail, business-to-business and packaged goods categories, having worked with clients such as IBM, Unilever, FexEx, Pepsi-Cola and Labatt Breweries. Currently Nicholson is responsible for $100 million in planning and buying assignments at Ammirati Puris. His favourite TV show is The West Wing.

Andeen Pitt, Media Director, Wasserman & Partners Advertising, Vancouver

Andeen Pitt has 20 years of advertising agency experience, 13 of them in Toronto. Pitt has the unique advantage of having experienced several media models, including a large full-service, multinational agency, the client side, and an independent media buying shop. After three years in Ottawa on a number of high-tech and business-to-business accounts, she joined Vancouver’s Wasserman & Partners in 1996.

Pitt brings solid experience grounded in the principles of media planning, as well as experience on a wide variety of accounts – international, national and local.

Rick Sanderson, Media Director, Bryant, Fulton & Shee, Vancouver

Rick Sanderson has served as media director at Vancouver’s Bryant, Fulton & Shee for the past six years. Prior to heading west, Sanderson worked at several major Toronto agencies, including McCann-Erickson; Foster Advertising; Grey Canada; Foote, Cone & Belding; and Ronalds-Reynolds. He is a past president of the Vancouver Media Directors Council and spends his off time on a snowboard.

Maria Spensieri, Partner, Vice-President, Media Director, Allard Johnson Communications, Montreal

Maria Spensieri got her start in media at Foster Advertising in 1978. From there she moved to Ogilvy & Mather, where she became media supervisor, before returning to Foster in 1986 to handle its largest accounts.

In 1988, Spensieri joined Allard as media planner, and was appointed media director in 1992. In her current position, Spensieri heads up both the Montreal and Toronto media departments. Her agency handles the following accounts: Royal Bank Financial Group (Quebec), Corona, Carter Horner, Ontario Egg Producers, Olymel, World Vision, Purdue Pharma (pharmaceutical) and Dairy Farmers of Canada (Nutrition).

Spensieri has also been named to the PMB board, chairs the EQIP technical committee and is a member of the Quebec Media Directors Council (QMDC).

Patrick Walshe, COO, Carat Canada, Toronto

Patrick Walshe runs the Toronto office of Montreal-based Carat Canada and works on international projects as required throughout the world of Carat. He has spent his entire working career either as a buyer or seller of media. The last several years of his life have been spent in the independent media management company sector, and he is now a full-time media specialist. Walshe is a native Torontonian and a graduate of Trent University.