November 2025 President's Note

The Blue Jays certainly gave us a lot to celebrate over the last few weeks, even though the ultimate victory eluded us. It's a remarkable accomplishment, especially after their last place finish in 2024, and a powerful reminder of what's possible when teams come together.  

We will have even more to celebrate this Friday at the 2025 CMA Awards. We set a record for award entries again this year. The demand for tickets also set a new record, and we’re expecting 1,000 people from across Canada to attend the gala. We added some more tables to meet demand, but there are only have a few seats left, so be sure to get your tickets before it’s too late. 

The final quarter of 2025 is very busy for the CMA. I’m excited to share some of the terrific benefits our members can leverage to futureproof your career, teams and business.

Here are six compelling benefits that deliver outstanding value:

1. We launched the CMA Mentorship program, exclusively for members. This free program boosts the value of your membership by offering a new significant perk.
• We’ve had outstanding response, especially from interested mentees. If you’re a member, and interested in being a mentor, I encourage you to apply.
2. We further expanded our national focus on in-person gatherings by hosting the CMA Case for Canada events in Vancouver and Calgary recently. These were free for members.
3. Ongoing learning and upskilling are key to a successful career in marketing. That’s why CMA members benefit from 50% savings on our Chartered Marketer (CM) program and our broader professional development offering.
• As the only professional marketing designation in Canada, the CM is a powerful differentiator and career accelerator.
• Courses are all offered on-demand to suit your schedule. You can start with one course and earn a micro certification before committing to the full CM curriculum
4. Upskilling the marketing profession – and ensuring a robust and diverse community of talented marketers – is an important priority and source of pride for us.
• Our Digital Marketing Skills Canada (DMSC) program has built an outstanding talent pipeline for employers, with 81% of graduates from underrepresented groups. If you’re looking to grow your team, reach out to bashie@thecma.ca to learn more about our talented graduates
5. CMA members benefitted from free access to over 25 CMA events in 2025, which is another powerful way to learn and build your community.
• To round out the year, you can join one of our free three CMA Cafes scheduled this month.
• On December 3, you can join CMAcx, our final in-person and hybrid event of 2025. Members benefit from significant savings of 75% and only pay $25.
6. Our exclusive member guides are another way the CMA is futureproofing marketers and marketing.
• This fall, we added a new CMA Digital Accessibility guide and updated the CMA Privacy Guide. On Friday, we released the 30th issue in our weekly CMA AI Playbook series.

Canadian small businesses - which fuel Canada's economy - are struggling to remain competitive and only 12% are using AI technology to stay ahead. That's why the CMA is proud to be a partner in You.Scaled - an ambitious $5-million AI accelerator program that launched as part of SME month in Canada.

• You.Scaled represents the natural evolution of what we've always stood for at the CMA – championing marketing’s crucial role in driving business success and strengthening society. 
• The program helps actively remove the barriers that prevent Canadian small businesses from participating in the digital economy.
• Canadian nonprofits will also be eligible to apply.

We have lots more planned and I’m looking forward to sharing details in the coming months. 

With Remembrance Day approaching, I hope you will join me in remembering everyone who sacrificed to defend our values and way of life, so we can live freely. 

I’m excited to see you and raise a toast to our profession at the CMA Awards Gala on Friday!

Warm regards,
Alison Simpson
President & CEO