Karl Chen
Associate Creative Director at Mosaic North America in Toronto

Karl is an award-winning Associate Creative Director with a firm belief that good design is good business. Design can help solve both complex business problems and real world issues. Karl has led the talented Mosaic design team on large multidisciplinary projects for some of the world's biggest brands across a multitude of industries. His client roster includes Google, Oracle, Investors Group, Nestle, Coca Cola, Budweiser, Starbucks, Mercedes to name a few. With 15 years of agency experience, Karl is also a guest speaker at the U of W Stratford School of Interaction Design & Business.

 

Kateland Clarke
Design Director at Pound & Grain in Vancouver

 

As a published Photographer and Design Director with over a decade of graphic design, production and marketing experience, Kateland has a diverse background that gives her a vast insight into how to strengthen brands to ensure success. As a result, she has a natural eye for creative communication that works, and has carved a reputation for having a razor sharp eye for the details, and an unflappable approach to every hurdle. Her passion for the success of the team and client is always driving her to be her most ego-less and pragmatic self. Her drive and enthusiasm is infectious and is shown in all projects big and small.

 

Phoebe Glasfurd
Co-founder and Creative Director at Glasfurd & Walker in Vancouver

An internationally-respected designer, Phoebe started her award-winning career in Sydney, Australia, focusing on print and broadcast design and branding for clients across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the US. In 2007, Phoebe moved to Canada, establishing Glasfurd & Walker in Vancouver, BC. Under her creative direction, Glasfurd & Walker has made a mark in food & beverage, hospitality and lifestyle brands, acknowledged internationally for its innovative and distinctive work that is woven with rich narrative and storytelling. At Glasfurd & Walker, Phoebe is hands-on with the creative direction of every project and oversees a team of talented designers. She is a strategic thinker and brand builder with intuition and experience for impactful work.

 

Kevan Kalyan

Creative Director at Blackiron in Ottawa

Until July Kev was Creative Group Head at Target NL and part of the team that helped the agency win the coveted Strategy Small Agency of the Year 2019. Over the last 20 years, he’s helped brands in Dubai to Halifax to St. John’s break through the clutter. He has extensive experience working for clients in a wide range of consumer and business categories including Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, Patagonia, Ace Hardware, KLM, Parks Canada, Medavie Blue Cross, The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp, Emirates Airlines and United Way Halifax — to name a few. For the past 6 years at Target, he’s worked tirelessly to develop breakthrough brand and advertising campaigns for its clients, including Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. Kev’s efforts have helped Find Yourself become widely recognized as the most successful and most awarded tourism and destination marketing campaign in North America. This tourism work was also awarded the prestigious ‘Best Campaign’ award at Strategy’s 2019 Agency of the Year gala event. His work has been recognized by Applied Arts, Webby Awards, ADCC, ICE, Marketing Awards and on multiple shortlists at Cannes.

Bryan Kulba RGD
Designer, Strategist & Educator in Edmonton

Bryan founded the award-winning digital agency Kobot in 2000, which has focused on supporting businesses, organizations and non-profits looking to make a positive impact in the world. Bryan is also an instructor at the University of Alberta, guiding students through the ever-changing practice of digital design.

 

 

 

 

Kelly Riback-Small RGD
Executive Creative Director at Grassriots Inc. in Toronto and Author of The Conscious Creative: Practical Ethics for Purposeful Work

Kelly Riback-Small (they/them) is a performance-driven, award-winning ECD, designer, and writer with deep roots in communication design, digital marketing, and advertising, and a special focus on ethical and inclusive practice. A proven creative leader, strategist, and affiliated design researcher with Emily Carr University (Studio for Critical Making and the Graphic Research Unit), Kelly holds a master’s degree in design where their research focused on design ethics, social impact, social innovation, and sustainability. Kelly received the Governor General's academic gold medal for their graduate work.
 

A seasoned ad-industry expat, Kelly has experience leading major brands across most sectors including automotive, CPG, entertainment, finance, retail, technology, telecom, and more. Currently serving as executive creative director at Grassriots Inc., Kelly is committed to applying their 15+ years of commercial experience to exclusively supporting progressive, impact-focused clients. Kelly is equally passionate about breakthrough aesthetics and innovative creative executions as they are ensuring that their concepts provide real, measurable results.

Kelly’s book, The Conscious Creative: Practical Ethics for Purposeful Work, published by House of Anansi Press, is a collection of over 100 actions for ethical creative practice. It is the culmination of Kelly’s research in their pursuit of a more humane, values-driven and inclusive creative industry.

A certified member of the RGD, Kelly donates their time to mentoring early career designers, leading the LGBTQ2S+ virtual RGD community, and participating in the RGD Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee.

 

Jennifer Taback RGD
Principal at Design de Plume Inc. in Sudbury

 

Jennifer is a Principal and a founding partner of Design de Plume Inc. and has 13 years of experience providing design and communication strategies based on research, developing technology and user engagement. Her background with national organizations such as the Native Women’s Association of Canada, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and the Federal Government has given her extensive insight on working with empowering marginalized groups. Jennifer’s Indigenous background, and focus on creating culturally sensitive and aware materials, has provided her clients with powerful visual messages that create change.

 

Marie-Hélène Trottier

Co-founder and Creative Director at Jump&Love in Montreal

 

Definitely creative. Defiantly out-of-the-box. But also disciplined in her vision and creative process. All of which means, Marie-Hélène doesn’t cut corners. Each project is a unique opportunity, a fresh adventure. Each powerful idea is targeted because every brand deserves its individuality.

 

For Marie-Hélène, great ideas don’t drop from the clouds. They’re based on research, analysis and thought. Lots of thought. (And yes, on inspiration too.) That’s how she raises the creative bar on even the largest projects.

 

Passionate and impassioned, Marie-Hélène has the rare ability to distill creative fire into focused communications. Her work seduces and compels action. How? By generating powerful emotional capital clients can always bank on.

With over a hundred awards, honours and publications to her credit, Marie-Hélène is a luminary in Quebec design. She has lectured widely and served on several competition juries.