About Me
I have led successful communications, marketing, and change campaigns using a blend of visuals and storytelling that express ideas in ways that invite collaboration and buy-in. From working with diverse teams to improve the customer and employee journey to sharing impact stories to attract students and donors, I have extensive experience bringing new ideas to life in support of organizational goals.
Education & Learning
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
with distinction | 2012
Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western
Ontario (UWO), London, Ontario
BACHELOR OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with high distinction | 2008
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
Professional Development
Presenter at Sifton Leadership Summit - 2023
Toronto SME conference – 2019
Ottawa Higher Ed conference - 2017
ADKAR change management seminar - 2013
Areas of Expertise
Communications
A product and exhibit designer by training, I now use my creative, user-focused approach to tell stories, drive awareness, and generate growth.
Change Management
I have been a change practitioner throughout my career, using models of change, education, psychology, and communication to build buy-in and help people thrive in a new way.
Customer Journeys
From journey maps to technical service blueprints, I have honed my ability to get technical at times to understand how to make things better and simpler for the customer. This has influenced my approach to developing communications, campaigns, and IT rollouts.
Communications
Customer Journeys
My Career
PRODUCT OWNER
SIFTON PROPERTIES LIMITED, London, ON, 2021 - present
Liaised closely with senior managers and executive leaders companywide to develop and execute successful change programs, including the implementation of a new digital payroll platform impacting 700+ employees. Analyzed business needs across five departments to evaluate current and future state requirements, then worked with department leaders to develop and lead training programs, communication, and adoption strategies using the ADKAR model of change Introduced process mapping, empathy maps, and blueprinting methods to identify pain points and opportunities for the new software, leading to a consistent set of best practices and empowering managers to take ownership of their scheduling and timecard management duties, freeing central Payroll to work on high-profile projects Led the learning and development of change resources for Salesforce, UKG (Payroll), and other major initiatives, creating learning resources that reinforced dozens of new processes while building user confidence and performance on our major digital platforms Navigated the implementation of a new intranet solution for the business, removing barriers for our development team to successfully transition to Microsoft Entra software, ultimately leading to a smooth, org-wide rollout meeting performance requirements and garnering approval from leadership and staff
PERSONAL BRAND CONSULTANT
CREW AND CROSS CREATIVE, London, ON, 2020 - 2021
Built an intuitive framework and guided Canadian/US clients through the personal re-branding process, using coaching and career best practices to help many secure interviews and goal positions. Through one-on-one, virtual coaching sessions, provided clear strategy and design recommendations to clients at all career stages, strengthening their unique value propositions, online presence, and advancement potential and leading to a 50% referral rate
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
3M, London, ON, 2019 - 2020
Developed new strategic relationships with marketing managers and key customers in Canada/US to drive awareness and cross-selling opportunities for flagship Post-it® and Scotch® brand product launches. Designed and presented key sell sheets, pitch decks and cross-selling program concepts promoting new flagship products in the Stationery and Office Supplies Division, establishing key relationships with other divisions and sales teams that gave low-cost access to new customer segments Identified key differences between the Canadian/US markets for new flagship products by cold-calling market segments, conducting market research at a national trade show, and working closely with sales to track trends, prompting team leaders to shift rollout strategy from big accounts to small and medium-sized customers.
MARKETING OFFICER
Western University, FOE, ON, 2012 - 2019
Managing an annual marketing budget of $80K, built and implemented a comprehensive marketing/recruitment strategy for 25+ onsite/online degree programs, helping double graduate enrollment in five years. Built a new visual brand identity that reflected the director’s entrepreneurial spirit and “transforming education, transforming lives” mantra, helping attract the students and instructors to make new online graduate programs viable Championed a major student experience project to address significant gaps in the quality and delivery of academic programs, leading to the creation of new resources and on-boarding practices that addressed reputational concerns Working directly with the technical team and designers, led a major website redesign project to improve overall performance for prospective students, resulting in a site that was much leaner, user-optimized, and cheaper to maintain using custom templates that could be easily updated by administrators Implemented shared dashboards that enhanced analysis, strategy, and reporting between marketing, recruitment, and senior management, building trust and transparency between teams and justifying a 20% increase in budget Working closely with agency partners, optimized digital/print campaigns, landing pages, and websites to drive leads deeper into the sales funnel, reducing non-core web pages by 90% and bad leads by 50%.
EXHIBIT DESIGNER
Science World, Vancouver BC, 2009 - 2011
Played central role in the layout and overall design of a 35,000 sq. ft. children’s outdoor learning park by conducting market research, goal-setting and leading the in-house development of exhibits focused on sustainable communities.
EXHIBIT DESIGNER
Aldrich Pears Associates, Vancouver BC, 2008 - 2009
Designed dozens of compelling exhibit concepts for an outdoor wildlife park proposal considered for the Middle East. The plans were presented with interest from decision makers in the Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, but were not pursued due to the economic crisis.
...and when I'm not at the office...