CMA Leadership Team
Meet the Leaders of the Canadian Marketing Association
Esther Benzie - President and CEO
Benzie brings more than 30 years of diverse marketing leadership experience spanning multinational organizations, Canadian enterprises, industry associations, vendor environments and entrepreneurship. Her career includes senior leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and CIBC, where she led the global relaunch of the CIBC brand and oversaw major marketing operations. She also served as Senior Advisor and Acting President & CEO of the Association of Canadian Advertisers, bringing direct experience in member-based association leadership.
Jeff O'Leary - Chief Learning Officer
Dr. Jeffrey O’Leary is Chief Learning Officer at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA). He leads the CMA’s professional learning initiatives, including the Chartered Marketer designation, ensuring programs align with the evolving needs of Canada’s marketing community. Jeff brings more than 20 years of experience spanning marketing, finance, and accounting, and has held senior roles with organizations such as Maple Leaf Foods, Wolseley Canada, and Karl Storz Endoscopy Canada. He has also taught at numerous Canadian universities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, contributing to the development of future marketing and business leaders
Barry Alexander - Chief Marketing and Diversity Officer
Barry is a passionate, data-driven marketer who has served as a senior marketing and strategy leader on a diverse set of consumer brands. As Chief Marketing and Diversity Officer, Barry is responsible for all marketing, events, thought leadership and media efforts as well as spearheading our DEI impact initiatives and partnerships. Prior to the CMA, Barry held senior marketing roles with Knix, Iovate Health Sciences, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Maple Leaf Foods and Molson and has served as a member of the Humber Business Program Advisory Committee and as a mentor with the Black Talent Initiative.
Sarah Bertucci - Vice-President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer
Sarah is a Senior Executive Team member reporting to the President, providing strategic leadership and direction of the Finance and Operations Team. Responsible for development and review of accounting policies, practices and internal controls to ensure that CMA‘s assets are safeguarded, Sarah manages general accounting, financial reporting, payroll, benefits, insurance, budget and forecasts, treasury operations and audit. She is a practitioner of continuous improvement of the financial processes and systems supporting the organization.
Sara Clodman - Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer
Sara is a mediator and public affairs executive with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors and association management. Her key skills include a deep understanding of business and communications strategy and execution, stakeholder relations and change management. At the CMA, she works with thought leaders and experts (including marketing professionals and experts in law, compliance, research and more) to guide the development of CMA positions on public policy issues, and advocates to government and regulators on behalf of the marketing profession. In addition, Sara oversees research, serves as the Association’s corporate secretary, and also as its chief privacy officer. She is a member of the Board of the Digital Advertising Association of Canada, which runs the AdChoices self-regulatory programs, and the Political Ads Program. Sara has an MBA in finance and is a former Vice-Chair of Toronto’s Committee of Adjustment, and a former director of Bridgepoint Hospital.
Natasha Upal - Chief Membership Officer
Natasha is a strategic business development leader and marketer who started her career in usability design and training and has global experience developing brands, scaling businesses, sourcing new revenue opportunities, and driving results through strategy built on data analytics and customer insights. As Chief of Membership, Natasha is responsible for partnerships and business development of CMA membership. Prior roles include leadership positions at Clover Inc, Financeit, Aviva Insurance, Yahoo! Europe and British Telecommunications. Natasha holds a post-graduate diploma from the British Chartered Institute of Marketing – the U.K. equivalent of the CMA’s Chartered Marketer (CM) designation.
