Hear from the Leaders Shaping the Future of CPG in Canda

Isaac Wanzama is the Founder and Chief Strategist at geekspeak Commerce, an eCommerce services agency based in Whitby, Ontario. With over 20 years of industry experience, Isaac and his team have a deep understanding of the Canadian retail landscape, having worked with some of the country’s – and world’s – largest retailers and brands to help grow their online sales. As a serial entrepreneur, Isaac is always looking to solve business problems by supplying new product or service offerings or developing technology to meet his clients’ evolving needs.

Tricia Williams is the Managing Partner and Client Success Leader at geekspeak Commerce, known for delivering outstanding results. Since 2010, Tricia has been at the forefront of developing innovative strategies that help brands, distributors, and retailers excel in the digital space across various categories, with a particular focus on the CPG sector. Her leadership and client-first approach have been instrumental in establishing geekspeak as a trusted partner for brands seeking to elevate their online presence, streamline their operations, and drive sustainable growth.

Moujan Tavakoli is a Senior Digital Marketing Manager with expertise in eCommerce strategy, retail media, and omnichannel shopper marketing. At Clorox, she leads digital activations and media planning across major household brands, driving growth through data-driven personalization and loyalty initiatives. With a proven track record in category management and quick commerce, Moujan blends strategic insight with hands-on execution to elevate brand performance. She is passionate about leveraging analytics to shape impactful consumer experiences to drive sales both online and in-store.

Jerome Shimizu is a three-time founder, award-winning inventor, and one of the top data scientists in the United States. As CEO and Co-Founder of ABCS Insights, he is shaping the next generation of advertising measurement, filing new patents and advancing the company’s proprietary ABCS Framework for Advertising Effectiveness.

Previously, Jerome co-founded Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NLSN) and served as Chief Research Officer at both InsightExpress and Kantar Millward Brown. Earlier in his career he led the back office for Nielsen Market Decisions and was involved in 2003 in the industry’s pioneering “look-alike-model” brought to market via Yahoo! Consumer Direct. Throughout his career, he has been a driving force behind some of the largest media outcome platforms in the industry—platforms that influence, optimize, and reallocate billions of advertising dollars and trillions of impressions each year.

An inventor at the forefront of advertising analytics, Jerome holds critical patents in ad measurement technology. His innovations—cited by Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, IBM, Adobe, Alibaba, American Express, Mastercard, AT&T, JPMorgan, and others—have been acquired by major industry players including Kantar and Citibank.

Jerome graduated with honors in Economics from the University of Chicago, one of only a handful of students to earn the distinction under the guidance of renowned economist D. Gale Johnson and Nobel Laureate Robert Lucas.

Genevieve Castonguay is a dynamic marketing and sales leader who bridges creativity, commerce, and data to drive measurable growth. With over 15 years of experience across B2B and B2C markets, she has built a career defined by clarity, connection, and performance—spanning leadership roles in media (Astral/Bell, Newcap), fintech and loyalty (Ackroo), and healthcare (Daniels Health & Clorox).

As Director of Marketing at ShopLiftr, Genevieve leads integrated programs that help brands and retailers activate in real time—linking story, shopper, and sale with precision and purpose. A published author, entrepreneur and former fitness television host, she brings educator-level clarity and stage presence to every engagement.

Having overcome cancer, Genevieve leads with resilience and conviction, blending empathy with execution. Known for fearless prospecting, strategic storytelling, and alignment across creative, commercial, and operational teams, she represents a new generation of marketing leaders—rooted in agility, authenticity, and results.

Daniel Pacitto is a recognized leader in Digital Marketing and Connected Commerce, currently serving as the Digital Marketing Lead at Church & Dwight Canada, where he shapes connected commerce strategies for more than 25 iconic brands. He began his career in brand management before moving into Digital Marketing and eCommerce, creating a unique perspective that blends brand-building discipline with cutting-edge digital strategy.

Earlier in his career, Daniel held progressive roles at PepsiCo Foods, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and Nestle, gaining experience across multiple verticals including healthcare, beauty, personal care, food, and beverage. This cross-category background and brand management foundation gives him the unique ability to design and execute top-tier, consumer-first strategies that drive growth across categories, diverse consumers needs and retail environments.

With an Executive MBA and 10+ years in consumer insights and customer success, Manaal N. Farooqi builds strategies at the intersection of data and human behavior. She has scaled global teams, launched CRM-driven retention programs, and guided companies through acquisitions and expansions. Her expertise spans market research, analytics, and lifecycle marketing, with a focus on turning data into actionable strategies that fuel sustainable growth. Passionate about connecting insights to impact, Manaal helps brands create products and experiences that resonate deeply with customers.

Maggie Kamel is a certified marketing strategist and data-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in CRM, loyalty, and digital transformation. She has a strong track record of delivering integrated campaigns that drive brand growth and ROI. Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative leadership, Maggie excels at aligning marketing initiatives with business goals. Her expertise in consumer engagement and cross-functional collaboration enables her to lead innovative programs that connect with audiences and deliver measurable results.

Doyle Brown is an executive with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing and brand management across multinational and local brands.  His expertise in the CPG sector is driven by a passion for food, with roles at Maple Leaf Foods, Canada Bread, Catelli Foods and now leading the marketing team at Barilla Canada.  He strives to continuously learn and improve his skills and knowledge to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration within his team.  An avid distance runner, Doyle is also involved in coaching youth Baseball and Basketball in Toronto.

With a career at the Coca-Cola system that spans nearly 2 decades and 10 positions, Ryan leverages his broad experience to navigate complex problems and drive actionable solutions. A trusted advisor to some of Canada’s biggest retailers and food services operators. Ryan is a transformational leader at Coke Canada leading their Category Management department. With a focus on making complex data simple and accessible the team is delivering results with a consumer centric mindset.

Matthew Maruscak has over eight years of eCommerce experience, including five in leadership roles, driving digital transformation across the consumer goods industry. As Amazon Senior Team Lead & Capabilities Manager at Kenvue Canada, he focuses on democratizing eCommerce and building scalable capabilities. Previously at Reckitt and Haleon, Matthew developed expertise across Bricks & Clicks, DTC, and Pureplay models. With a blend of sales and marketing acumen, he champions innovation and growth through a collaborative, capability-driven approach.

Tiffany Gonsalves is currently the Omni Channel and Last Mile Delivery Team Lead, with over 12 years of experience in the CPG industry. She has held diverse roles across brand marketing, sales and e-commerce. She brings a well-rounded perspective on how brands can deliver value to consumers in an evolving retail landscape. Tiffany is passionate about creating seamless online and offline experiences and driving innovation in how products reach customers.

Sarah Liou is a powerhouse marketing leader driving category-leading growth across fast-moving CPG segments. With experience spanning 10+ brands, from iconic Canadian staples like Dempster's to global players like Tia Rosa, she's built her reputation on delivering results where it matters most. As Marketing Manager at Bimbo Canada, Sarah leads strategy and product innovation for five national brands, launching over a dozen breakthrough products that have captured market share and accelerated growth in the industry's most competitive categories. A graduate of Bimbo Canada's Rise to Lead program, she brings a 360-degree business perspective shaped by cross-functional roles in Sales, Marketing, and Procurement.

Andrene Dos Anjos is the Digital Commerce Manager at Wonderbrands, where she leads Retail Media strategy across a portfolio of beloved brands.

With a background in omnichannel marketing and shopper strategy, she is passionate about bridging data, creativity, and purpose to create meaningful brand experiences that connect with consumers in new ways.

An up-and-coming industry voice, Andrene has actively championed innovation and collaboration across the evolving retail media landscape.

Anna Marques is an eCommerce leader driving transformation at Lactalis Canada, where she leads strategy and execution across a portfolio of iconic dairy brands. With over a decade of experience in retail and CPG, she excels at bridging marketing, commerce, and operations to accelerate growth. Anna champions a data-driven, test-and-learn culture, empowering teams to innovate and deliver measurable results, and advocates for elevating eCommerce from a transactional channel to a strategic growth engine.

Juliette is a Senior E-Commerce Manager with extensive experience leading digital and commercial strategies to drive sales performance and strengthen brand presence online. With over seven years of experience across both direct and indirect e-commerce channels, she has worked across diverse CPG categories—from the world of coffee and beverages at Keurig, to beauty and glamour at L’Oréal, and now cheese and fruit at Groupe Bel.

Sucheta is a digital-first marketer with over 12 years of experience growing brands across B2B and B2C. As Sr. Ecommerce & Digital Programs Manager at BISSELL, a top North American floorcare leader with a rich legacy in home cleaning innovation, she oversees ecommerce, retail media, and digital strategy. Over the past year, she has scaled omnichannel influencer campaigns - integrating content, community, and commerce to drive measurable impact across the full shopper journey. She’s passionate about turning creator engagement into real business growth.

Armando Tenias is a seasoned Ecommerce professional with over a decade of expertise in online sales and marketing in the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry.

Known for his innovative strategies in product placement and business development, he focuses on maximizing sales conversions and enhancing brand awareness.

In 2024, Armando was honored with the Generation Next award by The Canadian Grocer Association, acknowledging his contributions as an emerging leader in the industry.

Mateusz is a dynamic marketing professional that has a passion for taking a data first approach in connecting consumer and brand insights to help businesses grow. In his current capacity as the Ecommerce Team Lead at Danone Canada he is working to grow the e-business across multiple categories (including dairy, plant-based, coffee and waters) and platforms in Canada. With a passion for continuous improvement and a keen eye for emerging trends Mateusz is consistently driving growth and fostering a customer-centric culture.

Before starting his ecommerce journey he worked in brand management and consumer insights for Danone Canada and spent time on the agency side within the strategy and insights space.

Sucheta is a digital-first marketer with over 12 years of experience growing brands across B2B and B2C. As Sr. Ecommerce & Digital Programs Manager at BISSELL, a top North American floorcare leader with a rich legacy in home cleaning innovation, she oversees ecommerce, retail media, and digital strategy. Over the past year, she has scaled omnichannel influencer campaigns - integrating content, community, and commerce to drive measurable impact across the full shopper journey. She’s passionate about turning creator engagement into real business growth.

Ariane’s career in the CPG industry has spanned 3 continents and over 25 brands. Her experience began in Media & Marketing at Reckitt and subsequently Clorox and eventually combined Sales/Marketing/Ecommerce/Media into 1 cross-functional team at Mondelez, where she is currently the Director of Ecommerce Commercial Strategy & Growth.

She is passionate about building brands that matter and is constantly striving to improve the consumer experience – whether it be through personalization or frictionless commerce.

Ariane resides in Toronto with her husband and their twin boys.

Graham leads the US Emerging Brands & Canada Ad Sales organizations at Instacart. He has twenty years of experience building and leading teams in the digital advertising and retail media space. In 2021 Graham launched Instacart’s retail media offering in Canada, enabling brands to accelerate sales and drive measurable brand growth on and off Instacart. Prior to that Graham introduced Amazon Advertising in the Canadian market, where he led the AdTech Sales and Agency Development organizations. Graham’s career began agency-side before transitioning to Microsoft Advertising.

Pratyush Kumar is the GM/Head of Ad Products at Loblaw Advance. He has over 16 years of experience across fashion retail, loyalty, and grocery industries in India and Canada with roles spanning across Digital marketing, Media, MarTech and AdTech. Renowned for his ability to launch and scale new businesses and products, he combines strategic insight with a passion for driving innovation in retail and marketing technology, advancing organizational goals in a dynamic digital landscape.

With almost a decade of experience in the CPG sector, Jessica has built her career at the intersection of digital innovation and brand growth. As the Digital and Web Manager at Lassonde, she leads digital strategy for North American beverage brands, driving performance across websites, sponsored search, and enriched online content.

Interested in the rapid evolution of the digital space, she thrives on staying ahead of emerging trends in online grocery and consumer behavior. Jessica enjoys the challenge of testing new approaches to enhance the shopper experience while driving meaningful growth for the brands she supports.

Lesley Conway is a dynamic business leader with over 25 years’ experience in the ever-evolving media, marketing, and advertising industry. As Head of Walmart Connect Canada, Walmart’s advertising and omnichannel media business, Lesley is at the forefront of retail media innovation, driving digital transformation and strategic growth.

Prior to joining Walmart Connect, Lesley served as CEO of Mindshare, where she successfully led the agency through a transformative, full-funnel approach to media with a digital-first mindset. As President of Hatch64, a performance marketing agency, she championed data-driven strategies that delivered both top-line growth and operational efficiencies. Earlier in her career, Lesley ran her own consulting agency, working across diverse sectors from micro-mobility and sustainable transit to grocery, and served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Bell Media, overseeing specialty television, digital, radio, brand partnerships, and out-of-home revenue streams.

Lesley began her career agency-side as a media buyer and planner at Initiative Media/M2Universal. Throughout her career, she and her teams have been recognized with numerous industry awards, including MIA and Crystal honors, as well as multiple OBIE Awards for creativity and innovation in outdoor advertising.

A committed industry advocate, Lesley has served on several boards, including the Canadian Media Director’s Council, as Chairman of the Board for the Radio Marketing Bureau, Director at the Canadian Outdoor Bureau of Measurement, and Director with the Broadcast Bureau of Measurement’s Portable People Meter Committee. She is a sought-after speaker, having presented internationally at the Cannes Lions Festival, The Future of TV Conference, and to leading academic institutions including the Schulich School of Business, Ryerson, and York Universities.

Lesley holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and an Honours BA in Communications from Queen’s University. Outside of work, she enjoys golfing, traveling, and spending quality time with friends. Above all, she is most proud of her role as mother to her son Cooper, an aspiring engineer.

John is Google and YouTube's Head of Omni-Channel Retail for Canada.  He is an accomplished and recognized leader in Canada's omni-channel shopping ecosystem, helping organizations (ranging from startups to Fortune-100 retailers) make the pivot to digital shopper engagement for over fifteen years.

John joined Google ten years ago, and has helped lead partnerships with some of the fastest growing omni-channel retailers in North America over that time - with a focus on attribution/measurement via technology and AI adoption, digital education for C-suite partners, and helping retailers build new profit centers through initiatives including Google Retail Media.  He has been the most requested internal business coach at Google Canada since the program's formal introduction in 2023, helping craft our executive engagement strategy across all verticals.

In addition to his role at Google, John is the co-chair of the IAB Canada's Retail Media Committee. He is a past recipient of Marketing Mag's Top 30 Under 30 award, and has had his retail insights published in major Canadian platforms including The Globe & Mail, Financial Post and Yahoo! Finance, in addition to national TV interviews with CTV News Channel and Canada AM.

Lisandro Nunez is Vice President of Growth at JasperX, leading global strategy, partnerships, and customer success across the digital commerce ecosystem. With over 20 years of executive experience spanning technology, logistics, CPG, digital media, and eCommerce, he has driven market expansion in nearly 100 countries. Previously at SMART Technologies and i3-Technologies, he built international networks and strategic alliances. Lisandro holds an MBA and champions bold thinking, inclusive growth, and innovation in global commerce.

Grace is Enterprise Sales Director at MikMak, advising top CPG brands on transforming omnichannel commerce marketing strategies. With five years in the evolving commerce and retail media space, she helps brands leverage real-time commerce intelligence to drive growth. At Connected Commerce, Grace will share how to apply intelligent, full-funnel strategies to optimize campaigns and prove impact in the AI era. She recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, Tucker.

Anna Marques is an eCommerce leader driving transformation at Lactalis Canada, where she leads strategy and execution across a portfolio of iconic dairy brands. With over a decade of experience in retail and CPG, she excels at bridging marketing, commerce, and operations to accelerate growth. Anna champions a data-driven, test-and-learn culture, empowering teams to innovate and deliver measurable results, and advocates for elevating eCommerce from a transactional channel to a strategic growth engine.

Millie Yervantian is the Media, Digital & Ecom Director at Campari Group Canada. She has over 15 years’ experience in marketing across travel, gambling, and alcohol verticals in both Australia and Canada. While alcohol is one of the more challenging categories to run DTC and Ecom in Canada, Millie is here today to share how this small but mighty channel punches above its weight in protecting Campari Group's route to market while building brand loyalty.

Alexandra Hellmund is a results-driven eCommerce and marketing leader with over 12 years of experience driving digital growth for global skincare brands across Canada and the U.S. Currently leading eCommerce transformation at Beiersdorf, she has pioneered Amazon and Walmart strategies, negotiated multimillion-dollar media investments, and consistently delivered double-digit growth. With an MBA from McGill and a track record at L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, Alexandra brings deep expertise in retail media, brand building, and scaling performance through data-driven strategies.

As Head of eCommerce for Canada, Emmanuel leverages extensive omni-channel expertise. He has spearheaded eCommerce business development for global CPG giants, including Philips and Nestle. His mastery of integrating retail insights and performance marketing positions him as a pivotal resource for accelerating digital commercial growth. Bridging data and technology is his forte in today's digitally-driven business landscape.

Nikki Stone is a distinguished and dynamic C-Level executive who architects the future of commerce. As the former Chief Commerce Officer at GroupM, she was the chief architect behind the network’s Canadian commerce practice, building the division from the ground up and forging strategic partnerships with retail media giants like Walmart and Amazon.

A proven leader with experience as CEO of Wavemaker, and the EVP, Managing Director of Zenith, Nikki’s success is driven by her "Architect of Resilience" framework. She builds the adaptable, future-proofed systems necessary to win in disruptive environments, making her the ideal moderator to navigate the critical challenges and opportunities in retail media.

Juliette is a Senior E-Commerce Manager with extensive experience leading digital and commercial strategies to drive sales performance and strengthen brand presence online. With over seven years of experience across both direct and indirect e-commerce channels, she has worked across diverse CPG categories—from the world of coffee and beverages at Keurig, to beauty and glamour at L’Oréal, and now cheese and fruit at Groupe Bel.

Millie Yervantian is the Media, Digital & Ecom Director at Campari Group Canada. She has over 15 years experience in marketing across travel, gambling, and alcohol verticals in both Australia and Canada. While alchohol is one of the more challenging categories to run DTC and ecom in Canada, Millie is here today to share how this small but mighty channel punches above its weight in protecting Campari Group's route to market while building brand loyalty.

Austin is a customer-centric, marketing & sales executive with in depth experience focused on brand building, digital, strategy, engagement, customer experience, partnerships, customer loyalty and analytics. Recognized as a strategic leader with a unique ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and navigate complex business challenges. Proven track record of driving results by turning ideas into reality for some of the world’s most recognized brands.

Jonathan Gendreau has more than 20 years of experience in digital transformation at several Canadian retailers. In 2011, he led the implementation of St-Hubert's (Recipe Unlimited Group) omnichannel strategy. He then joined the BMR Group team in 2017 as Vice-President of Marketing and Digital Strategy to ensure the development and implementation of the company's digital plan.

Since 2022, Jonathan has served as Vice President of eCommerce and Digital Strategy at Metro, one of Canada’s leading retailers. He oversees the digital presence and online customer experience for several prominent banners, including Metro, Jean Coutu, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis, Première Moisson, and Brunet.