Meet the Differly team

Jay is an experienced IT Program Manager and strategic advisor. For nearly 20 years, Jay has lead a number of transformational projects for clients in the public and private sectors including members of the Fortune 500. Jay combines a thorough technology background with a strong business acumen to help clients get the most value out of their technology investments.

He provides virtual CIO services for a variety of Differly Clients.

Vicky is a seasoned business performance strategist and leader who drives improved marketing and business results through the smart, effective use of data. Having the unique ability to speak data and business equally, Vicky helps organizations better understand and leverage their customer and organizational data, utilizing it to transform their performance, develop loyalty and growth strategies.

She has extensive cross-functional leadership experience and a blend of strategic, operational and analytic expertise. With a career spanning 20 years, Vicky has developed a consistent track record for using data and analytics to transform organizational results across multiple markets, organizations, and sectors.

Steve is a digital customer experience strategist with nearly 30 years of experience who defines and designs thoughtful, user-centric solutions that translate to increased loyalty and profitability.  He strives to develop a deep understanding of customer motivations, to challenge assumptions and reimagine opportunities both for them and the business.

With his deep experience in digital strategy and channels, Steve has developed proven methodologies that help organizations create cohesive, intuitive customer experiences, optimized across all platforms.  This is increasingly critical as organizations fight to stay relevant in an increasingly automated, personalized and digital world.

Steve has worked with brands such as FedEx, Sun Life Financial, Sobey’s, Magna International and Maple Leaf Foods.

Lisa is an experienced marketing professional, with deep experience in social media management and content marketing. She is a skilled project manager with over 20 years of experience in execution of strategic marketing plans from start to finish.   Prior to bringing her deep expertise to the Differly team and launching her own marketing business, she spent 14 years working at the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club creating memorable marketing campaigns and leading promotions and events. She has been on the organizing committee of several International events, in particular the IIHF 2009 World Junior Championship and the IIHF 2013 Women’s World Championship.  Lisa is passionate about community engagement, in particular of her home town in Carleton Place, Ontario, where she sits on various committees giving back by volunteering her time and skills.

Bringing almost 30 years of global, multi-industry experience, Scott brings deep operational and strategic leadership experience and management consulting background to his clients. Focusing on digital and organizational transformation, Scott’s work across a variety of industries (wholesale distribution, retail, logistics, public sector, postal to name a few) has helped formulate, lead and facilitate change agendas that has always focused on people – employees and clients – with an eye to improving organizational effectiveness and when applicable, the bottom line. He brings experience in a variety of areas including eCommerce, CRM and the “business side” of technology (defining business needs, requirements, procurement, business implementation, change management etc.).

With two start-ups under his belt in Canada and Australia and 8 years as VP Operations/COO, Scott has had direct responsibility and oversight for several organizational functions including Sales/Marketing, Finance, HR, Legal with strategic and P&L responsibility.

Scott is also a certified Agile Scrum Master and is currently the Chair, Board of Directors for Toronto-based People for Education, an independent, non-partisan, charitable organization working to support and advance public education through research, policy and public engagement.

Jennifer’s 25+ year career has been spent transforming global B2B companies seeking to recover, scale, or sustain business advantage. Expert in advancing customer experience strategy from vision to execution, she puts customers at the heart of business to generate high impact results through metrics-driven operational change and/or advanced strategic marketing and account management practices.

Recognized as a catalyst for change, Jennifer is consistently the go-to person for elaborate initiatives requiring innovative and cross-functional thinking and collaborative approaches. Thriving in environments challenged to transform, she excels at building alignment, prioritizing opportunities, and dealing with unknowns always working to balance relationships with results.

Jennifer has worked across industries and with leading companies including Sysco Foods, Dell/EMC, TetraPak, and Welch Allyn. She empathizes with the challenges clients face, having held President and C-level roles and had direct ownership of teams leading strategy, operations, revenue, marketing, ecommerce, customer success and business intelligence.

Ilana brings over 20 years of experience in the technology sector at companies like Adobe, leading global teams and managing change. Spearheading various transformation initiatives, Ilana excels in fostering an environment of customer-centric innovation, growth mindsets and results.  Her passion and talent for breaking down barriers and bringing different viewpoints to the table enables organizations to be successful, evolve and exceed the desired business results. She has extensive cross-functional leadership experience from diverse functions,  industries, sectors and sizes across the globe. Ilana holds certifications in Change Management (PROSCI) and Design Thinking and a Masters in Business Administration from Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Angela has over 20 years of experience in the areas of business transformation, change management, strategy development, program execution, and management consulting. Angela has successfully led large-scale change initiatives and has a deep understanding of the impact that transformation has on people, processes, technology, and data. She also has extensive facilitation and stakeholder management skills.

In recent years, Angela has led various digital transformation projects with a focus on facilitating the impact these changes have on people, culture, and business processes.  

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary's University (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Angela also holds certifications in Change Management (PROSCI), Project Management (Prince2), and Advanced Program Management (Stanford University).

Erin Blaskie is a creative growth strategist and marketing advisor with nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, branding, go-to-market and customer growth and performance.

Erin launched her first company in 2004 consulting with startups and scale-ups on marketing strategies as well as growing the personal brands of best-selling authors, speakers, and actors. Today, Erin is back to her consulting roots, working with companies to build strong brands and enable sustainable growth, as well as teaching the next wave of digital marketing professionals.

Josée is an experienced communications professional, with over 20 years in journalism, content creation, social and community management.   She is an expert in helping businesses reach and engage with their audiences via social media channels and the media.   Prior to her work with Differly and as a freelancer, Josée spent over 25 years working as a radio host and reporter with Radio-Canada/CBC Broadcasting connecting with audiences in both official languages. In recent years, she has launched professional and personal brands (Josee @work and Josee @home) lending her voice and experience to numerous events in Canada and France as an MC for events and concerts. She is passionate about promoting the arts and culture here and abroad. She works with Differly clients in conducting social media and content audits as well as developing social media strategies.

Todd brings over 20 years of experience in business and technology, with expertise in digital solutions, e-commerce, IT infrastructure, data management, and solutions architecture. He’s managed large client engagements and project-specific work for organizations looking to leverage their brand effectively and use technology to meet strategic marketing, operational, and sales objectives.
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Todd founded his first company in 1999, providing professional services to a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, not-for-profit, government, and manufacturing. His entrepreneurship and collaborative approach make him a valuable asset to any organization looking for sustainable growth and optimized, efficient service delivery.
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Todd completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in the United States. He has a Master of Computer Science from RPI and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Trinity College.

Holly is a seasoned marketing, digital and business strategist with 20 years of experience. With strong roots in the sports industry and business, she has helped many organizations increase their ability to leverage digital strategies and technology to greatly improve customer/fan experience and operational efficiency. She has worked with notable clients such as the Tour de France, IRONMAN, lululemon, Backroads, and United Way, as well as with national and international sports federations.
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Holly also has deep roots and experience helping founders with their go-to-market plans and preparing to scale.  She has worked with startups in the Cannabis, Psilocybin, CPG and tech industries working on growth, customer experience and business planning.

Holly sits on the board of Biathlon Alberta as the PR and Marketing lead. She also holds a BPE from the University of Alberta in Sport Management.

Melinda is a versatile digital strategy leader with 10+ years of experience at global retail and travel brands, leading eCommerce and Marketplace teams. She brings experience in product management, UX and marketing. She is passionate about working with organizations to identify, prioritize and build exceptional digital experiences that will unlock new revenue streams. Her approach is grounded in data, behavioural economics, human-centred design and technology.

Melinda has worked with brands such as SSENSE, Four Seasons & Cartier.

Throughout his career, Dan has helped organizations identify and seize opportunities for sustained, transformative growth. Be it introducing new products, streamlining customer-facing operations, or introducing a digital element to multi-channel experiences, Dan’s strong understanding of customer needs, innovative mindset, and practiced operational know-how, consistently create distinct, profitable customer experiences which deliver differentiated value over the long-term.
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Dan has extensive experience in the financial services, telecommunications, and health care industries. With 11 years as a management consultant, and 10 as a senior executive, Dan is equally capable defining the strategy as he is executing it. With direct work experience in over 20 countries, Dan provides a broad, practical perspective while maintaining a strong strategic focus. Having held VP CX and COO positions, he knows the challenges of understanding customer needs and weaving them into everyday operations in a cost-effective and consistent manner.

Ian Clark has 20 years of experience leading business growth and innovation in retail and B2C environments supporting a diverse range of functions including operations, procurement, marketing, finance, and IT. For over 10 years his focus has been solving challenging business problems and driving bottom-line impact by leveraging data and digital technologies.

Throughout his career Ian has applied curiosity, creativity, and constant learning to improve business performance and advance the status quo. Ian has extensive experience with data analytics, systems integrations, cloud computing, data engineering, and full-stack web development. He used this knowledge to dramatically improve operational efficiency and introduce operational discipline.

Ian holds a B.A. (Hons) in Business Law (Carleton University) and Professional Certificates in Business Intelligence and Cybersecurity (Google).

Lauren is known for her ability to marry strategy and execution around a customer-centric, metrics-focused approach, resulting in sustained revenue growth and award-winning products and services. She brings 25+ years experience leading complex change initiatives, both in house and as an external advisor, across industry verticals and stages of organizational growth. Prior to becoming an advisor to a wide range of companies, organizations, and professional associations, Lauren held leadership and executive roles at Queen’s University, Cognos, IBM, PTC, and Kinaxis.

Lauren holds a Forrester Certification in Customer Experience (CX) and has completed the Council of Canadian Innovators Innovation Governance Program (IGP) for Board Directors. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Education, and a Master’s degree in Linguistics. Lauren has 10 years of Board Director experience and is bilingual in English and French.

Patrice thrives on the challenge of building, expanding, and transforming marketing teams, processes, campaigns, strategies, and organizations. She has spent the last 25 years in the B2B tech space, in Canada and abroad. Throughout her journey across various roles and sectors, she has always been a strong proponent of cross-functional collaboration between marketing, sales, customer success, and product teams to align goals and drive collective success. This approach has proven instrumental in her accomplishments related to shaping business goals and go-to-market strategies, building messaging and positioning, and overseeing marketing operations.

One of Patrice's key strengths is her ability to pivot quickly and focus on achieving desired outcomes, which proves invaluable when collaborating with early-stage startups that operate with limited resources and manpower. She is fluent in French and English.

Nada brings 25 years of experience consulting for Fortune 1000 companies and medium size enterprises in the areas of change management, strategy implementation, procurement, process improvement and program management.

She has led many strategic engagements delivering sustained, bottom-line benefits across a broad range of industries including financial services, loyalty, mining, retail, construction, transportation, travel, government and not for profit.

Nada possesses a unique blend of strategic insight, leadership acumen and a passion for helping businesses evolve. She prioritizes a “big picture” perspective grounded in hands on commitment at all levels to the agreed strategy and tactics that will a get a project to the finish line.

She is also a PROSCI certified change management practitioner and a business coach.

Tracey Clark is a prominent entrepreneur with over three decades of diverse experience.

As CEO and Founder of Bridgehead Coffee, Tracey made a name for herself as an innovative business leader.She is known for her energy, insights, facilitation skills, and mentoring style.

Her academic background includes an MBA from Concordia University and a Fellowship in International Development Management. Her commitment to community and sustainability are evident in her board experience with Ecotrust, Shorefast, and the Ottawa Community Foundation among others.

Daniel has 20 years of experience leading project delivery across a variety of industries in North and Latin America, in corporate & consulting settings, and as an entrepreneur.    

For the past decade, Daniel has worked as a business strategist and change agent focused on the digital transformation of customer operations (CX). While program and project delivery-focused, Daniel has product design exposure and knowledge, and a track record of design and delivery via waterfall and Agile/Scrum -- he is a Certified Scrum Master.    

Daniel holds Industrial Engineering degrees (B.Sc., M.Sc.) and an MBA, he is a Native Spanish speaker and is fluently conversant in French.

Rekha is a seasoned technology and data leader with a proven track record of driving innovation, transformation, and growth within organizations. With over 20 years of experience at companies such as CGI, Tech Insights, Kinaxis, and Achievers, Rekha understands the unique challenges that businesses face in today’s digital era and has a deep understanding of the digital landscape. Rekha collaborates closely with business stakeholders to develop a comprehensive technology strategy and roadmap, guiding them through execution to achieve their business objectives.
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Rekha is known for her ability to balance a holistic, big picture view with effective execution. In roles such as Director of Enterprise Business Technology, VP of Business Systems, and Business Intelligence, Rekha has crafted technology and data strategy aligned with business strategy, led many cross-functional business transformational and optimization initiatives, leading to substantial improvements in operational efficiency and overall business performance.   

Rekha holds Master of Engineering degree and MIT’s Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation. She holds professional certifications in Project Management (PMP), Change Management (Prosci), and ITIL.

Anand is a business leader focused on improving performance through simplification and implementation. A seasoned executive with ‘hands on’ expertise, from companies like Giant Tiger Stores Ltd, BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Acosta.  His experience includes 20+ years in strategic planning, project management, digital transformation, marketing, and revenue-driving roles.  

Anand’s core competencies include developing high-performing teams, project delivery, revenue growth, business planning, portfolio management, and advanced analytics.  Core client service areas include: project/program management, business analysis, operational and strategic planning.

Anand is also a proud Dad, balancing his professional efforts and time with his family.

With over 15 years of executive leadership experience spanning both private and non-profit sectors, including a start-up, Donna is recognized for driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and innovative solutions. She is known for her ability to revitalize brands, optimize operations, and foster collaborative, high-performing cultures.

Donna delivers measurable outcomes that transform organizations resulting in lasting impact. A passionate advocate and relationship builder, Donna has established impactful partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, leading universities, industry leaders and governments bodies, both at federal and provincial level. Her expertise in strategic planning, operational excellence, and customer-centric innovation has driven program innovation, streamlined operations, and enhanced customer experience while championing corporate responsibility initiatives and actively promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all areas of her work.

Donna holds a graduate degree in Business Administration and a BSc in Exercise Science/Kinesiology from Concordia University. Fluent in English and French, Donna combines strategic foresight, operational expertise, and a people-first approach to create sustainable growth and deliver value to stakeholders. Outside of her day-to-day, Donna is a proud mom, athlete, traveler, and campfire musician, embracing the joys of family, community, and creativity.

Michael Gladstone is an experienced technology strategist and fractional CIO. Michael has spent more than 25 years in technology and has led technology projects, practices and teams across the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors.

Michael’s focus is on solving business problems by leveraging technology and does so by relying on his unique combination of business and technology experience. In the not-for-profit space, Michael has worked with the National Office of CMHA, was the first CIO of International Institute of Business Analysis and has held positions on several non-profit boards.

Michael has also been a youth hockey team manager and baseball coach. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and an MBA.