🙌 In this episode - we had such a great time chatting with Tanbir Grover who is the Chief Marketing & Digital Officer at Pet Valu!

Pet Valu is Canada’s leading retailer of pet food & pet-related supplies with over 800 locations across the country. For the past 50 years - they’ve been bringing joy to devoted pet lovers & their pets alike.

Tanbir joined at what was a critical inflection point in Pet Valu’s journey. He joined during the midst of the pandemic - when they didn’t sell online, our relationships with pets were fundamentally changing, and the company was on the cusp of going public. Since that defining moment - he has helped them to steward their brand build efforts all the way to their digital capabilities.

Prior to this role - he has a wealth of experience in the retail industry having worked at Lowe’s, Hudson’s Bay, and Sears.

Amongst other things - we chatted with him about how Pet Valu continues to stand out in a crowded space, the biggest trends shaping the industry, a fateful call that changed his career trajectory, the value of an outsider's perspective, how you can connect the dots in hindsight & his dog Levi’s awesome Halloween costume (hint:🐕🦸‍♂️).

More specifically, Tanbir shared his thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:34)
• What was your “Marketing Moment”? (8:50)
• What did you take away most from those early experiences? (12:32)
• What is your approach to making career decisions? (14:17)
• Can you take us back to that defining moment where you decided to start at Pet Valu? (19:23)
• How did you manage the steep learning curve? (24:16)
• How was your experience trying to lead a cultural shift within the organization? (27:50)
• Can you unpack Pet Valu’s priorities & its new brand platform? (30:46)
• What are the trends that you’re seeing & how is your team capitalizing on them? (38:04)
• How is your team structured? (42:50)
• We put Tanbir in the hot seat! (47:47)

🏒🏆 In this episode, we had an absolute blast chatting with Nicole Lee -the Senior Director of Integrated Marketing at the NHL.

The league has been around for over 100 years & has gone through so many eras in that time. By all accounts - they’re in the midst of another golden era. Their revenue is at an all-time high which has been fueled by their captivating stars, intriguing storylines & new partnerships. Nicole's team works alongside their sponsors to help them mutually grow their businesses & the love for the sport. She joined 16 years ago & has helped the NHL grow the scale/impact of those partnerships.

Prior to that - she has a fascinating story of growing within the US (completing her Masters in Ohio, working at Disney in Orlando & Anheuser-Busch in Virginia).

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about the NHL’s record-shattering year, what winning partnerships look like, the importance of taking the long-view, the lost art of the handwritten note & whether the Leafs are finally going to win this year 🍾🤞.

More specifically, Nicole shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a complete stranger? (10:12)
• What's the benefit of Partnership Marketing for the NHL? (10:49)
• What was your "Marketing Moment"? (12:08)
• As you've progressed through your career, has there been a north star that has driven your decision making? (16:28)
• How did you think about the trade-offs between career choices? (17:18)
• Can you walk us through your 16-year career at NHL? (21:07)
• How has your view of sponsorship marketing evolved over time? (23:46)
• How does it feel to have been part of the growth of the NHL through your role in partnership marketing? (28:55)
• How do you cultivate strong relationships with your partners? (33:25)
• Can you walk us through an example of one of your partnerships and how that has come to life? (35:08)
• How is your team evaluated for success? (40:10)
• How is the marketing team set up at the NHL? (42:04)
• Do you have any cautionary advice for anyone who wants to enter a Sports Marketing career? (45:07)
• We put Nicole in the hot seat! (47:12)

🎃 👻 In the sixth episode of our mini-series “The Cheat Sheet”, we tackle a scary subject… the interview process (gasps!). Whether you’re in the thick of recruiting season or just thinking ahead - we’re sharing some of our top tricks (and treats) on how to make the most of an interview and how to leave a lasting impression! The goal (ghoul?) is for you to be an eerie-sistible candidate😅!

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we're releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: 4pspod@gmail.com

In this episode - we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Kate Torrance who is the VP, Head of Brand, Content & Comms at SickKids.

SickKids opened their doors almost 150 years ago with a commitment to improving health outcomes for children. Since then - they’ve helped countless families across the country & have been recognized as a global leader in this space. In order to fuel their life-changing research & care - they launched the largest healthcare campaign in Canadian history in 2016. This was driven by a platform that they created called SickKids VS. It’s a platform that has been awarded some of the industry’s highest honours, inspired others in the industry to follow suit - won over the hearts of donors.

Kate actually joined at the beginning of what she calls their brand transformation journey about 10 years ago & has continued to steward the brand. Her team is far from finished - they’re one the cusp of another monumental fundraise & just formed some new agency partnerships to help reach it. Prior to SickKids - she had an illustrious career in advertising, having worked at the likes of Zulu & BBDO.

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about why she was destined for a career in advertising, her experience as one of the creators of SickKids VS, how she hopes to reframe charitable giving, what she believes makes (or breaks) creative & the cautionary tale of the piñata (and no - it wasn’t just filled with candy 🤔) .

More specifically, Kate shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (8:30)
• What was your "marketing moment"? (10:18)
• Walk us through your career journey before SickKids (14:24)
• How could someone differentiate between agencies to help them make a decision on which one to join? (21:35)
• What are some universal truths of marketing across industries and companies? (26:25)
• How did you navigate the career transition from agency side to client side?(29:23)
• Tell us more about your role at SickKids and your experience in the brand transformation journey (36:35)
• What kind of resistance did you face in the early stages of the development of "SickKids VS"? (43:38)
• How is your team thinking about what's next? How are you staying true to "SickKids VS" while keeping it fresh? (48:24)
• What does the Marketing team look like at SickKids? (59:59)
• We put Kate in the Hot Seat! (1:04:27)

🙌 We had an incredible time chatting with Lisa Mack who is the VP of Brand at Telus!

You know & love Telus as one of Canada’s largest telcos. What you might not know is that their ambitions span well beyond that into areas such as health, agriculture & sustainability. They’re on a mission to make the future friendly & have worked tirelessly over the past few decades to bring that mission to life. They’ve contributed $1.7 billion, including 2.2 million days of charities & community organizations since 2000 - more than any company in the world. 🤯

Amongst other things, Lisa helps to infuse their social purpose across consumer touchpoints & has spent the past 10 years helping to build Telus into a beloved brand. Prior to that - she proudly spent time in advertising & graduated from Waterloo with a degree in Arts/Psychology/HR.

In this episode - hear Lisa tell us (sorry, had to) about: how her team is continuing to evolve Telus’ brand platform (with the help from some cute critters 🦜🦁), the power of purpose, why she likens marketing to an ocean, her top career planning tips & the corporate buzzword that makes her cringe😅.

More specifically, Lisa shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:15)
• What was your marketing moment? (10:19)
• What do you think you gleaned from agency experience to set you up in this current role? (16:00)
• Can you walk us through that important decision to transition to Telus? (19:15)
• Can you share more context about Telus’ mission? (21:07)
• How do you inject that purpose into your communications? (25:43)
• How do you strike the balance between purpose & price value? (30:02)
• Can you share the story behind the Telus Critters? (33:23)
• How is your team structured & qualities do you seek in marketers? (40:55)
• We put her in the hot seat! 🔥(45:59)

PS: Apologies for any audio issues on this one!

👋 We’re back with your regularly scheduled programming! A bit more tanned, confused (as to where the summer went) & here with a new mini episode! We chatted with Isabel Ng-Lai who is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at the rapidly growing fintech - KOHO. More specifically, we heard Isabel’s story & tips on how she’s navigated major career moves. Whether it was a literal move to the UK or her recent move into a new role at a scale-up.

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we’re releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: 4pspod@gmail.com.

🎙️👏 A few weeks ago we hosted our first LIVE podcast with the Queen’s Marketing Association! We debunked marketing myths, answered students’ most burning questions & had an absolute blast while doing it! We unpacked topics such as networking, career planning & everything in between. A big thank you to the QMA, our incredible panelists, and to the students that came out to listen! We had a blast.

Stay tuned - we may be coming to a school near you for another live event... 👀

📌 We had an absolute blast chatting with Azadeh Attar who is the Director of CPG Partnerships at Pinterest.

Pinterest has cemented itself as one of the go-to platforms to turn inspiration into action. Whether it’s searching for travel ideas, planning out a home reno, discovering a new recipe, shopping for a new outfit for anything in between. They’ve recently reached over half a billion monthly active users & continue to cultivate a positive space for users/brands.

There, Azadeh actually joined as one of their first employees in Canada and since then, she has helped to dramatically scale their advertising presence in this market. Prior to Pinterest - she spent 8 years at Google Canada & began her career in CPG at General Mills.

In this episode - we chatted with her about her love for building from the ground floor, how she’s managed major career jumps, the biggest myths about marketing/sales, what is fueling Pinterest’s massive momentum, head-scratching “Gen Z” trends & what’s on her vision board. 🔮

More specifically, Azadeh shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (8:27)
• What was your “marketing moment”? (11:12)
• How did you cultivate your passion for marketing at an early age? (13:55)
• Can you walk us through your career journey? (15:47)
• How have you managed major career jumps? (21:00)
• Why are you so passionate about Pinterest’s mission/ethos? (33:21)
• Do you have some recent examples of how brands have activated on the platform? (35:57)
• How has your team managed through a time of rapid acceleration in terms of the number of ad products you’re launching? (37:48)
• What are the types of opportunities available at Pinterest Canada? (45:24)
• We put her in the hot seat! (51:38) 🔥