Who We Are

I’m a consultant and an educator. I believe that a company’s brand is its most important asset, and so strengthening and nurturing this aspect of a business is my focus and passion. I concentrate on building brands as the core to seizing business opportunities and realizing revenue and profit potential for my clients.

My passion for retail started with a general interest in this area of marketing and blossomed as I realized that the retailer has the potential for one of the strongest brand relationships with the customer. The moment of truth when the customer parts with hard earned money to receive a product or service that improves his or her life in some way comes from making a brand strong inside out. How does a retailer get to the top of the customer’s list of where and from whom they wish to purchase is a key question that I strive to answer for my clients.

I have been a Course Director for the Retail Strategy and Marketing program at the Schulich School of Business for the last 15 years. In 2014, we launched the Global Retail Specialization MBA program built around my capstone course. I also teach the Skills for Leadership course, which is a fundamental part of the MBA program for every student. This course focuses on problem solving in a complex world and building personal leadership skills so that graduates will be ready to solve the problems of tomorrow’s turbulent business world.

My deep understanding of brand building stems from my work as an educator, and my roles with Unilever and Borden Foods earlier in my career, in brand management, private label development and category management. My research focus today aligns with these key areas for building strong brands and on the area of Leadership.

I start with the people behind the brands and the culmination of my professional and teaching experience help me to bring out the potential in those charged with building great brands no matter which functional area of the organization they represent.