2023 Sponsorship Forum

Date:

November 28, 2023

Time:

8:00 am

Location:

Join us on November 28th, 2023 at The Rose Brampton Main Stage for the 5th annual City of Brampton Sponsorship Forum!

For our 5th anniversary, we are thrilled to have multicultural marketing industry veteran Bobby Sahni as our keynote speaker! Bobby will also moderate a panel of industry trailblazers from the CBC, Toronto Blue Jays and Imagine Canada, as they share perspectives, perceptions and experiences on what matters to win in a diverse world - today, tomorrow and in the future.

Keynote Speaker: Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-founder, Ethnicity Matters

What Matters: Reaching New Audiences In Our Cultural Mosaic

Brampton is one of the most diverse cities in Canada, including an impressive array of cultures and ethnicities forming the great "cultural mosaic" that we call home. Our diversity has great economic benefits with significant potential to market to new and established immigrant communities and beyond. It's a demographic tsunami that is transforming how we think about and manage brands, businesses and communities as "multicultural" becomes "the new mainstream."

What to Expect

8:00 am - Join us for a hot breakfast
9:00 am - Forum to begin, welcome from Mayor Brown
9:15 am - Opening Performance from Darryn DeSouza
9:30 am - Keynote from Bobby Sanhi
10:00 am Panel Discussion
10:30 am - Sponsorship recognition awards

Bobby Sahni - Partner & Co-founder, Ethnicity Matters

Bobby Sahni is a veteran and thought-leader in the multicultural marketing and advertising industry. Bobby was the Head of Multicultural Marketing at Rogers Communications and has been a pioneer in developing, executing and managing diversity and multicultural marketing initiatives for a number of best-in-class organizations. He is Co-Founder and Partner at Ethnicity Matters - a multicultural marketing & advertising agency dedicated to helping companies drive new growth and sales by engaging North America's fast growing, big spending ethnic and new immigrant communities. He is also Partner in Tulsea Sports Marketing, a North America-based sports marketing consultancy focussed on the intersection of multicultural marketing & sports + entertainment.

Darren DeSouza, Curator in the City of Brampton This is Brampton Program

Coming from a musical family, Darryn began his training at St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto, a one-of-a-kind music school with deep training in choral and solo singing, as well as instrumental music. In 2009, after working as a performer and music director in professional theatre, Darryn took on the role of Music Director for vocal group The Tenors. With them, he has performed as their live pianist, collaborator, arranger, and full time touring artist. Through this experience, Darryn has shared the stage and worked with many legends: Paul Anka, David Foster, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Harry Connick Jr., Kenny G, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Stevie Wonder, to name just a few. He also has performed for many world and creative leaders, including Barack & Michelle Obama and Oprah.

Panelists

Maya Kane, Executive Director, CBC Marketing & Communications

As Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, Maya leads CBC's innovative marketing, communications, research, scheduling, brand and creative teams to drive audience engagement across all platforms and programming. With a tenure of more than 12 years in marketing and communications leadership at CBC, Maya returned to the national public broadcaster in May 2021 after serving as Executive Director, Communications Strategy & Stakeholder Relations at the University of Toronto for two years. In that position, Maya was responsible for a range of portfolios including strategic planning, issues management and internal communications. Prior to that, Maya was Director of Marketing & Communications at CBC and led integrated, multiplatform marketing campaigns for CBC News & Current Affairs, CBC Docs, CBC Podcasts and CBC Music. Throughout her career, Maya has been a champion for engagement and inclusion, including advocating for and implementing new inclusion and equity plans, hiring practices and mentorship initiatives at CBC.

Sheldon Kiernan, Director of Brand & Digital Marketing, Toronto Blue Jays

Sheldon is a seasoned Marketing and Communications professional, boasting a distinguished career spanning over 15 years with renowned organizations such as Arla Foods Amba and Rogers Communications. His professional journey commenced in the UK, after completing his business education at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Australia. At Arla Foods, Sheldon's tenure was marked by a diverse array of responsibilities, including New Product Development, Communications, and Business Management. His journey within the organization culminated in a pivotal role as a National Brand & Producer Manager, for the Canadian business.

It was after this period that Sheldon decided to pursue his true passion, transitioning to Rogers Media as the Brand Manager for their Hockey portfolio. In this role, he played a crucial part in orchestrating the launch of iconic programs like Hockey Night in Canada and Rogers Hometown Hockey. Sheldon's journey at Rogers Communications saw him making a mark in various Marketing Communications roles, including the successful rebranding of the Rogers brand itself. His tenure included instrumental involvement in the rollout of 5G technology in Canada, and he played a pivotal role in helping Rogers become the first national carrier to offer unlimited data plans.

In a defining career move in 2022, Sheldon made the transition to the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball club, where he assumed the role of Director of Brand and Digital Marketing. As the guardian of the Blue Jays Brand, he is responsible for ensuring the brand's consistent and compelling presence across all consumer touchpoints. He also spearheads the transformative efforts in the realm of Digital Marketing.

Beyond his professional achievements, Sheldon is a devoted father to three young children. Outside of his demanding work responsibilities, he dedicates his time to coaching their Hockey, Soccer, and Baseball endeavors. In the winter months, he can be found on the ski hills or in the kitchen, indulging in one of his favorite pastimes.

Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO, Imagine Canada

Bruce MacDonald is the President & CEO of Imagine Canada. When carnivals and social good combined, it pointed to a path and for 30 years Bruce has been walking that route. From working for organizations that provide services to young people, older adults, persons with disabilities, community service clubs and sports and recreation groups, Bruce's experiences have lead him to Imagine Canada. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada where he participated in a collective effort to bring mentoring programs to kids. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration from Laurentian University, a Masters in Management in the Voluntary Sector from McGill University and a former record in the Guinness Book of World Records. In early 2019, Bruce was appointed Co-Chair of the Permanent Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector working with the federal government.