After spending nearly three years as chief marketing officer for upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen, Trinh Tham is taking a new role as senior vice-president, revenue and digital strategy with Universal Music Canada. The veteran marketing leader officially starts with the company later this summer.
The newly created role has a broad purview, including oversight of the company’s digital marketing, streaming and music strategy, as well as data analytics and commercial affairs. According to a release, Tham will work in “lockstep” with Universal chairman and CEO Jeffrey Remedios as the company “continues to set the pace for innovation.”
The label features several high-profile Canadian artists including Drake, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes, and also oversees Canadian representation for the likes of Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and Rihanna.
“Universal Music Canada is an incredibly impressive and ambitious organization, finding ways to support artists, create, and lead, across an ever-changing industry,” said Tham in a release. “I’m honoured to join Jeffrey and the team to continue to build, grow, and amplify the reach and impact UMC has in Canada and beyond.”
Tham joined Harry Rosen as its top marketer in 2019, and led marketing during a key period for the company as it looked to transition from a business largely built around formal wear to one reflecting a changing fashion environment, in which more casual attire has become more prominent.
Working with Harry Rosen’s agency partner Zulu Alpha Kilo, she oversaw a steady stream of bold and often innovative campaigns that broke new ground for the brand, including the 2020 launch of a new brand platform called “Set the Tone” that was a deliberate attempt to broaden the brand’s reach among youthful clientele.
“We just felt like we were catering to the same customers, and we needed to broaden our customer base,” she said at the time. “We needed to attract a new generation of customers and we didn’t feel we could do that with the same approach we’d been using for the last several years.”
Tham also had a hand in creating playful campaigns that accompanied the brand’s move into men’s grooming and golf apparel, as well as for the brand’s first foray into online discount and its new “collaborative” clothing line, Harold.
Tham possesses an extensive and varied marketing background. Prior to joining Harry Rosen, she spent nearly two years in marketing roles with grocery retailer Sobeys, and briefly worked as VP of integrated marketing with Tim Hortons. She also spent more than seven years in marketing roles with Loblaws, overseeing private label brand marketing, ethnic marketing and merchandising.
“Trinh is a proven leader who thrives at the intersection of culture and business,” said Remedios in a release. “She is an accomplished brand strategist who uses bold and creative ideas to drive revenue growth and deliver impactful results. Across this new portfolio she’ll further elevate a group of UMC’s top performers, offering a global perspective to benefit our artists, partners, and clients as we bring Canadian artists to the world. We’re excited to welcome her to the team.”
