Sponsorship Council


The Sponsorship Council, a joint strategic initiative between the CMA and the SMCC, helps raise the profile of sponsorship as an integral component of the marketing mix through thought leadership, best practices and networking opportunities.

Council Members

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Chair

Marijke Vandergrift

Director, Corporate Partnerships, Canadian Women and Sport

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Chair

Solange Bernard

Senior Director, Marketing Communications, Tim Hortons Advertising and Promotion Fund Canada Inc.

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Past Chair

Erika DeHaas

Vice President, Marketing Communications, Sobeys

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Past Chair

Mark Palmer

Chief Commercial Officer, Golf Canada

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Member

Ashley Curran

AVP, Community Impact and Sport Partnerships, Canadian Tire Corporation

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Member

Ben Seaton

CEO, UM Canada

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Member

Julie Garcia Sjogrim

Vice President, Corporate and Community Partnerships , SickKids Foundation

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Member

Manpreet Pandha

Senior Manager, Enterprise Sponsorships, North America , BMO Bank of Montreal

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Member

Michael Smith

Group Head, Partnerships, Diamond Integrated Marketing

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Member

Mitch Sharma

Senior Manager, Sport Sponsorships & Regional Marketing, TD Bank Group

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Member

Riah Sethna

Director of Partnerships, Music & Live Entertainment, Live Nation Canada, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.

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Member

Jim Kozak

Executive Vice President, Group M

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Member

Cheryl Sebastian

Senior Director, Global Marketing Partnerships, National Basketball Association (NBA)

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Member

Allison Miceli

IMC Lead, Verticals, TikTok Canada

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Member

Sophie Kotsopoulos

Vice President, Integrated Marketing, National Hockey League

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Member

Sheri Hachey-Cox

Managing Director, Ethnicity Multicultural Marketing Inc.

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Member

Alanna Rubino

Global Head of Customer Activation & Promotions, Just Eat Takeaway.com, SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc.

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Member

Scott Stewart

General Manager, Glassroom

Recent Articles Authored by Council

The untapped potential of investing in women’s professional sport in Canada

The puck dropped on November 30 for the second Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season, and this season is set to be another blockbuster year

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Do sports fans care about women’s sports?

In a recent CMA thought leader panel event titled "The Future of Branding Through Women’s Sports," industry leaders came together to debunk prevalent misconceptions and highlight the rapidly growing interest in women's sports among Canadians.

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Sponsorship during an economic downturn

According to PwC's Global CEO Survey, a staggering 73 per cent of CEOs expect a decline in global economic growth over the next year

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Sponsorship marketing: Evaluation and measurement

Sponsorship has been firmly established as an important element of the marketing mix for some time.

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What social purpose means for brands

It is seen as an ever-evolving landscape, but one thing is for certain: a brand’s purpose is an enabler and a core tenant of its value proposition – both internally and externally.

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Who is responsible for building whose brand?

The debate of who is responsible for building whose brand between properties and brands is a hot topic during any partnership negotiation..

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Major Sponsors

  • canada post
  • CIBC-800x450
  • Microsoft-2023