Kerri Dawson appointed chair of CMA board

by David Brown

HSBC’s Kerri Dawson is the new board chair for the Canadian Marketing Association. She replaces Steve Mast, who has completed his two-year term.

Dawson, who is head of digital commercialization for wealth and personal banking at HSBC, has been a member of the CMA board since 2018, and vice-chair for the past year. She previously chaired the finance and audit committee, the human resources committee, and the nominating and governance committee.

“Kerri is a seasoned marketing executive and an experienced director who has been involved with our organization in many capacities,” said Sartaj Sarkaria, the CMA’s acting chief operating officer and chief diversity officer, in a release. (The CMA is currently looking for a CEO to replace John Wiltshire, who left the association earlier this month.)

“We are fortunate to have such a strong leader with a deep understanding of our strategic priorities as we build on the association’s notable success over the past several years,” added Sarkaria.

Along with Dawson’s appointment, the board welcomed three new members: Isaac Adejuwon, chief executive officer and founder, Metricsflow; Laura Pearce, country director, marketing, Google Canada; and Scott Pinkney, senior vice-president and executive creative director, Publicis Canada.

Leaving the board with Mast are outgoing directors Peter Furnish (vice-president, product and marketing, Starbucks Coffee Canada) and Jan Kestle (president, Environics Analytics).

“The capacity of Canada’s marketing community to inspire and engage customers and drive business growth through data, creativity and innovation has never been stronger,” says Dawson. “I look forward to working with returning and new directors to guide the CMA in its mission to embolden marketers to transform business, which in turn stimulates and strengthens the Canadian economy.”

The complete list of CMA directors for 2022-23 is:

  • Kerri Dawson (Board Chair), head of digital commercialization for wealth and personal banking, HSBC Canada;
  • Isaac Adejuwon, CEO and founder, Metricsflow;
  • Brent Chaters, managing director, Accenture Song;
  • Alan Depencier, chief marketing officer, personal and commercial banking and insurance, RBC;
  • Jeff Greenspoon, president, global solutions, Dentsu International;
  • Devorah Lithwick, chief brand officer, Bell Canada;
  • Amanda Maltby, corporate compliance and chief privacy officer, Canada Post;
  • Nicky Mezo, vice-president, marketing, customer strategy and 1:1 channels, TD;
  • Meghan Nameth, senior vice-president, marketing, Loblaw;
  • Susan O’Brien, chief brand and customer officer, Canadian Tire Corporation;
  • Laura Pearce, country director, marketing, Google Canada;
  • Scott Pinkney, senior vice-president and executive creative director, Publicis Canada;
  • Trinh Tham, chief marketing officer, executive vice-president, marketing and ecommerce, Harry Rosen; and
  • Luxy Thuraisingam, head of global partner marketing, Cisco.
David Brown