Stop accepting friction as a given. Your marketing strategy, execution and measurement are only as strong as their connection to one another. Yet, too often, these elements operate in isolation, creating drag that undermines performance and ROI. This presentation will show you how to eliminate that friction by seamlessly orchestrating your data, insights and multi-channel activation. Environics will explore how best to align every part of your marketing process to unlock your full potential and gain a competitive edge.

Speaking

Jan Kestle

President

Environics Analytics

With major cultural moments on the horizon, shifting audience behaviours and evolving brand priorities, WGSN unpacks the key trends that will shape culture in 2026. From the FIFA World Cup in North America and the Winter Olympics in Cortina, to global entertainment launches and music festivals, WGSN has you covered. This session will explore how to align brand activations with headline moments by looking at what’s next in marketing, lifestyle and live experience. Whether you’re planning product launches, partnerships or cultural takeovers, senior strategist Rebecca Rom-Frank will equip you with the right insights to lead in a year of transformation.

Speaking

Rebecca Rom-Frank

Senior Marketing Strategist

WGSN

Anheuser-Busch InBev believes in creativity as a force powering its growth. From back-to-back Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year wins to top honours at the Clios and Effies, creativity runs through the company’s DNA as part of the "One ABI Way." Driving its transformation are three pillars: People, Process and Partners. Join Andrew Oosterhuis, head of marketing for Canada, as he reveals how Labatt applies this framework to bring commercial creativity closer to consumers.

Speaking

Andrew Oosterhuis

VP Marketing

Labatt

The Globe and Mail is doubling down on coverage beyond hard news – think food trends, streaming picks, health breakthroughs, even pet advice. Why? Because Canadians need mental relief from the onslaught of challenges confronting the world they live in. That's not just a hunch. The Globe's investments in lifestyle and culture have so far driven a jump in audience engagement. Globe Content Studio’s Kiran Rana pulls back the curtain on what content is connecting with Canadians most, and how the findings can be applied to brand campaigns.

Speaking

Kiran Rana

Manager, Content and Podcast Strategy

The Globe and Mail

Whether you're in Canada fighting for local resonance or at a global HQ making sure the masterbrand still holds together, success comes down to finding common ground. That means balancing cultural nuance, regulatory differences, political climate and tight brand frameworks. In this session, leaders from both sides of the table will share how they've negotiated flexibility, championed local insights and built programs that land with impact in Canada – all without losing sight of the global brand story.

Speaking

Brian Neumann

Head of Brand & Creativity

Kraft Heinz

Tania Goecke

Global VP Marketing: Brands with Purpose & Global Asset Activation

Grupo Bimbo Canada

Laura Cutsey

Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships

Coca-Cola Company

Brian Clayton

VP Marketing & Sales Strategy

Kimberly-Clark Canada Inc

The Indigenous economy is on track to hit $100 billion, a reality that forward-thinking CMOs cannot afford to overlook. For RBC, Reconciliation isn’t a campaign; it represents guiding principles within the marketing strategy. By moving beyond the illusion of inclusion and treating Reconciliation as distinct from DEI, RBC is showing how brands can strengthen trust and deepen audience connection. In this session, RBC and BOOM InterTribal will share first-hand lessons on what it takes to embed Reconciliation effectively. From planning and strategy to creative execution, attendees will learn how to avoid costly missteps and apply actionable practices within their organizations.

Speaking

Alana Lees

Partner & Chief Strategy Officer

BOOM InterTribal

Mark Hamill

Director, Regional Marketing

RBC

Chinyere Eni

Head, RBC Origins

RBC

While most conversations about Gen Z focus on mental health, climate anxiety and digital habits, this session will dive deeper – uncovering the lesser-known forces shaping both Gen Z and the rising Gen Alpha. From shifting views on geopolitics and financial literacy to evolving definitions of success, identity and influence, this exploration challenges assumptions and surfaces new insights. Join Sara Cappe at Harris Poll as she helps marketers understand the next wave of cultural and consumer behaviour. The data presented in this session will be collected prior to and exclusively for the CMO Forum.

Speaking

Sara Cappe

President

The Harris Poll Canada

The market is changing hands, with a new cohort taking the reins and turning the marketing playbook on its head. Brand loyalty isn’t inherited and legacy brands don’t get a pass. Even a market leader like President’s Choice got a wake-up call when it discovered its average shopper was age 53. In this session, Loblaw’s Lindsay Cook will take us inside the brand’s bold reset that’s putting the future customer at the core of its growth. You’ll learn how to rewrite the next-gen connection playbook in an industry hardwired for safe.

Speaking

Lindsay Cook

VP, Control Brand, Social Media and Loyalty Marketing

Loblaw Companies

Marketers are sleepwalking past the most profitable, fastest-growing audience in the market. The 55+ demographic controls more than half of global spending power, yet gets just 5-10% of marketing investment. That's billions left on the table and wide open for competitors to grab. In this eye-opening, data-rich session, The Longevity Lab's Jennifer Meehan will shatter outdated myths and show how this culturally influential audience can be seen as a brand's untapped growth engine. 

Speaking

Jennifer Meehan

Executive Vice President Brand Marketing, Edelman Canada & Global COO, Longevity Lab

Behind every major marketing launch is a series of conversations most people never see between CMOs and the CEO or CFO. In this fireside chat, senior brand business leaders walk through the inner workings of a campaign, program or pilot that needed significant investment and full C-Suite alignment. You'll hear from execs at Kruger and Molson on how to make the case for marketing's value while navigating competing priorities.

Speaking

Leslie Malcolm

VP, Marketing

Molson Coors Beverage Co.

Anthony Purchase

VP, Commercial Operations

Molson Coors Beverage Co.

Manoj Raheja

Partner

Sklar Wilton & Associates Ltd.

Susan Irving

CMO

Kruger Products Inc.

Dino Bianco

CEO

Kruger Products Inc.

Awards