11:00AM - 3:00PM ET Online Event

[VIRTUAL] Media Evolution 2026 - Sponsored by Loblaw Advance

Members: $0

Non-Members: $25

Members and Chartered Marketers* preferred pricing will be automatically applied. *Must be in good standing.

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CMA is excited to present our annual Media Evolution 2026, sponsored by Loblaw Advance™ conference, where we’ll gather agencies, media suppliers, research experts, measurement specialists, and content professionals to discuss the latest tools and advancements in media innovation.

Attendees will explore the growing significance of media in marketing and hear from industry leaders shaping the future of media, research, and adtech. After the conference, join us for a complimentary networking cocktail hour from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm to chat with fellow attendees and make new connections.

Agenda

How decided is a shopper when they start shopping? New Loblaw Advance™ research suggests that even shoppers with a list, a routine and preferred brands leave meaningful decisions unresolved. Drawing on original research with more than 2,500 grocery, pharmacy and beauty shoppers, this session will explore when shoppers are most open to influence, the different roles media can play across the journey and why routine purchases may represent a bigger opportunity than marketers assume.

Mark Austin
Director Brand Marketing and PR, Loblaw Advance™

Mark Austin is Director of Brand Marketing and PR at Loblaw Advance™, where he leads brand strategy and communications for Loblaw’s retail media and insights business. His career spans B2B and B2C marketing roles, from building consumer brands and working within global media ecosystems, to leading an integrated agency and, today, helping shape the story of retail media at Loblaw. Mark’s approach is grounded in the belief that the best marketing brings evidence and imagination together.

Discover the latest Ad Nation findings as Ipsos reveals where advertising professionals' assumptions about Canadians' media habits and attitudes align—and where they miss the mark. This eye-opening session challenges industry biases and offers fresh insights to help you better understand and connect with the audiences you serve.

Steve Levy
Early in his career Steve spent time in Sales at Xerox and Marketing at Mars foods in the UK. Since the late 80’s Steve worked with several research organizations in Asia and Canada before merging with Ipsos where he has had several leading roles both domestic and internationally. He is the author of (among other things) the Most Influential Brand Study (Globally). He is a Canadian Marketing Association lifetime achievement award recipient, a Fellow of CRIC (Canadian Research and Insights Council), a Young Lions Jury member and a frequent public speaker/commentator. Steve is also a very active member board member of the Earth Rangers charity and the St, Mikes Foundation. Passionate about the world of public speaking he frequently runs workshops on the subject for a broad range of organizations. His bio would not be complete without saying that he takes his eyewear very seriously.

Marketing and finance often speak different languages when it comes to media budgets. In this session, we’ll pinpoint the drivers of this gap and explore a modern ads measurement approach to bridge the divide with data both sides can trust. The outcome: a strategic partnership that views media as a growth investment, not a cost centre.

Jonny Leung
Head of Data and Measurement Strategy, Google Canada

As Head of Measurement and Data Strategy at Google Canada, Jonny leads a specialized team that empowers Canada's largest brands to quantify ROI, optimize performance with AI innovation and fuel growth through data-driven decisions. His diverse career across brand design, web development, SEO, martech and analytics provides a holistic marketing perspective.

Devorah Lithwick
Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Bell

Devorah Lithwick is the Chief Brand Officer at Bell. She has driven Bell's brand strategy forward since her appointment in 2021, leading Bell to be recognized as one of Canada's most valuable brands.

With over 25 years of leadership in communications, marketing, digital and branding, Lithwick first joined Bell in 2006 as Vice President, Marketing. Today, she shapes the brand vision across Bell and its subsidiaries, including the 2025 modernization of the company's visual identity and new brand platform, "Connection is everything." Her bold leadership has delivered some of Canada's most recognized initiatives: Bell Let's Talk, the country's largest corporate commitment to mental health; the creation of Lucky Mobile; the repositioning of Virgin Plus; and the launch of Ateko, a Bell Canada company.

She also oversees the marketing for Bell Media's powerhouse brands, including Crave, TSN and RDS.

Named Strategy Magazine's Marketer of the Year in 2023, Lithwick served on the board of the Canadian Marketing Association and the Toronto International Film Festival. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she is an alumna of the Rotman School of Management's Judy Project and the International Women's Forum Fellows Program with Harvard Business School and INSEAD.

Matt McGowan
SVP, Business Solutions

Matt McGowan is a growth-focused enterprise leader with a twenty-year track record of building both global and regional businesses in the media & entertainment, technology, and advertising sectors. As Senior Vice President, Business Solutions, Matt oversees advertising, account management, and sales operations for Canada's premier media and entertainment company.

Before joining Bell Media, Matt was the General Manager of Snapchat Canada, where he spearheaded the platform’s audience growth and commercial expansion. His prior roles include leadership positions at Google, Incisive Media, acquired by Blenheim Chalcot, and the marketing automation and SaaS company Adestra, acquired by Upland Software, where he developed and scaled global go-to-market strategies while navigating complex, evolving marketplaces.

A recognized business and community leader, Matt has shared insights on digital transformation, brand storytelling, leadership, and organizational behavior. Beyond his corporate work, he is active in advisory roles with many early stage companies and the venture capital ecosystem that supports them. He further serves on the Board of Directors for Kids Help Phone, StrawberryFrog, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and Techstars Toronto, reflecting his commitment to community, creativity, and mentorship.

Matt holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BA from Lafayette College. Originally from New York and now based in Toronto,he brings a global perspective informed by a career spanning continents, categories, and cultures. He is known for building resilient organizations, unlocking growth through innovation, and inspiring teams to perform with clarity, purpose, and ambition.

Meghan Nameth
President & Owner, Pattern & Path Consulting

Meghan Nameth helps organizations grow by aligning business ambition, brand, and human insight into clear, actionable strategy.

A senior marketing executive, strategist, and executive coach, she brings over 25 years of experience leading brand, marketing, and analytics functions at scale across North America. She has held senior leadership roles at Loblaws (SVP, Marketing), Hudson’s Bay Company (CMO), and PwC, TD Bank, Mars, and Procter & Gamble—where she has been accountable for driving enterprise growth, strengthening market position, and building modern marketing capabilities.

Today, Meghan is President of Pattern & Path Consulting and Co-Founder of ShiftUp Coaching, where she partners with senior marketing leaders and executive teams to navigate complexity, make better decisions, and translate strategy into meaningful progress. She brings a practical, experience-led perspective on how growth actually happens inside complex organizations.

She also serves as Vice Chair of the Canadian Marketing Association, where she is focused on helping to future-proof the marketing industry in Canada. Meghan is a Chartered Marketer and holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

Creator marketing is growing rapidly, but many brands still struggle to answer a fundamental question: is it actually working?

As investment continues to shift toward creators, marketers are being asked to demonstrate business value beyond likes, views, shares and other platform-reported metrics. The challenge is that engagement alone often provides an incomplete picture of effectiveness and can lead to overconfidence in content that isn't driving meaningful brand outcomes.

In this session, Brandon Kirk, VP Media and Creative at Kantar Canada, draws on Kantar's global creator effectiveness research to explore what makes creator content work. He will examine the relationship between engagement and brand impact, highlight the characteristics associated with stronger-performing creator content and discuss how marketers can apply a more effective measurement lens to creator investments. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for evaluating creator marketing through the lens of brand growth and business results.

Brandon Kirk
VP Media and Creative, Kantar Canada

Brandon Kirk is VP Media and Creative at Kantar Canada, where he works with advertizers, agencies, publishers and media partners to better understand the relationship between media investment, creative effectiveness and business outcomes.

Over the course of his career, Brandon has worked across Canada's evolving media landscape, spanning traditional and digital advertising, streaming, social media, DOOH, audio, connected TV and emerging marketing channels. At Kantar, he helps organizations navigate a rapidly changing marketing environment through measurement, analytics and effectiveness-focused research.

His work is focused on helping marketers move beyond surface-level metrics and make more informed decisions about how media and creative investments contribute to brand growth.

The mid-funnel on TikTok is a lot like that first spark, where watching turns into wanting, curiosity flirts with consideration and interest grows into affection. Discover how your brand can win the Heart of the Funnel on TikTok, turning discovery into connection, consideration and action.

Zack Grossman
Vertical Director, Global Business Solutions, TikTok Canada;

Marketers have never had more data and less clarity. Too often, measurement rewards whoever is grading their own homework, while real growth happens where that scorecard can't see. Retail media is a clear example: on track to reach 1 in 5 Canadian digital ad dollars by 2029, yet spend remains concentrated with a handful of players even as most consumer spending happens elsewhere.

The opportunity isn't more measurement. It's better measurement, one that's open, objective and capable of connecting brands, agencies, retailers and publishers across Canada's interconnected ecosystem.

Join JJ Dobrovolski, Senior Director, Business Development at The Trade Desk, as he unpacks the measurement opportunity ahead, including a first look at the partnerships expanding it further.

JJ Dobrovolski
Senior Director, Business Development, The Trade Desk

JJ Dobrovolski is the Senior Director of Business Development at The Trade Desk Canada, where he oversees strategic partnerships with key clients to help deliver insightful and impactful advertising solutions. With expertise spanning high-growth startups and Fortune 500 companies, JJ drives results across diverse industries including advertising, technology, consumer packaged goods, retail, finance and market research.

Before joining The Trade Desk, JJ held leadership roles including Head of Beauty and Health at Amazon Ads Canada. He has also played pivotal roles at Kraft Heinz and Nielsen. A graduate of the University of Toronto, JJ combines strategic vision with hands-on expertise, empowering brands to build meaningful connections with their audiences.

Meaghan Brophy, Head of Sales at Walmart Connect Canada and Otaiba Ahsan, Customer eCommerce Manager at Nestlé Canada, as they share how a strong retailer-brand partnership can turn customer insights, media, measurement and commerce into meaningful business growth. Drawing on successful programs including F1, Ciao and Kit Kat Mixups, this session will explore the strategies, collaboration and learnings behind some of Canada's most innovative retail media activations.

Meaghan Brophy
Head of Sales, Walmart Connect Canada

Otaiba Ahsan, MBA
Customer eCommerce Manager, Nestlé Canada

This keynote explores the evolving creator landscape as “Made with AI” content proliferates and why X is uniquely positioned to help brands grow authentic influence at scale. This session will detail how X has evolved its platform for an AI-native world by embedding safety by design, open transparency and creator compliance and incentives into the product core. Hear highlights of X’s unprecedented innovation across user safety and brand safety, showing how these capabilities enable high-trust partnerships between brands and real creators in a rapidly changing media environment.

Yale Cohen
Head of Brand Safety and Ad Solutions, X Corp

Yale Cohen is the Head of Brand Safety and Ad Solutions at X, where he leads efforts to ensure a safe and effective advertising ecosystem for brands and users on the platform. With over 20 years of experience in digital advertising, Yale previously held executive roles at Publicis Media, including EVP of Global Digital Standards and EVP of Digital Investment and Standards, overseeing media quality, safety, suitability and brand integrity for major clients. Yale is a recognized industry leader, who was the chair of the 4A’s Advertizer Protection Bureau for 8 years and an honoree on Adweek’s Young Influentials list. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, Yale is a dedicated father of 3 and was an alternate for the U.S. fencing team for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.