Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I've spent over 25 years studying what makes great brands work. Starbucks. Coca-Cola. Pizza Hut. Google. I've been lucky enough to build a few things, break a few things, and learn from both inside some of the world's best-run marketing organizations. But the most useful thing I've learned didn't come from any of those boardrooms. It came from a dinner table. Eight years ago, I began to meet regularly with a small group of peers I met by chance at an event. Not to network, not to celebrate wins, but to stress-test the hard stuff. The career pivots. The difficult conversations we couldn't have inside our own organizations. The "am I the only one dealing with this?" moments that every mid-level professional has but rarely says out loud. I'd had great mentors. But I'd never had a room full of peers who could give me candid, unbiased advice with no agenda. I haven't stopped thinking about that since. That's what gave me the idea for Orbit. Orbit is a peer advisory program I built for professionals who are good at what they do and serious about what comes next. It's a structured 5-week cohort experience. Intentionally small, intentionally cross-functional, and intentionally designed to create the kind of trust and candour that most professionals need but never access. I run it. I curate it. I facilitate it. And I bring everything I've learned across 25+ years as a business leader, brand builder, Schulich instructor, and writer to every cohort. I've navigated some version of every challenge the people in these rooms are facing. If you're a mid-career professional who's carrying real weight and wants a room full of high-calibre peers to think alongside... Orbit was built for you. Find out more at YourOrbit.co. ____________________________________ Outside of Orbit... ✅ I help companies improve their marketing and accelerate their business growth. ✅ I'm a Marketing Instructor at York University's Schulich School of Business. ✅ I'm the author of "Tom Talent and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very-Bad Recruitment Process". ✅ I contribute to AMA Toronto's Advisory Council and Harvard Business Impact's Educator Advisory Team. ✅ I write a blog (dpThoughts.ca) about brands, marketing, advertising, retail, leadership, AI, technology, entertainment... and whatever else I feel like writing about in any given week. ✅ I write and publish children's books, which you can find at Mindburst.ca . ✅ I help raise and entertain my four incredible children. ✅ I watch an unreasonable number of films and television series. (But great stories are worth my time.)
Orbit is a five-week peer advisory program for ambitious, experienced professionals. The goal is simple: a trusted, conflict-free group of high-calibre thinking partners who help you navigate your most complex career and leadership challenges. Each cohort is small by design. Cross-functional by intention. And built around one principle: in orbit, there is no centre of gravity. The most valuable perspective shifts with every challenge. Founding cohorts are launching in April 2026. Applications are now open. Limited spots available. Good professionals have mentors. Great ones have an Orbit. Find yours at YourOrbit.co.
dp Ventures exists to enable consulting projects, Fractional CMO roles, start-up advisory positions, teaching and facilitating assignments, writing opportunities, and speaking engagements.
I serve as a part-time instructor for the Schulich School of Business at York University, available to lead marketing courses as the school requires and my schedule permits. Teaching at the university level not only refines my presentation and communication skills, but also helps me stay current on marketing research, ideas, trends, and best practices. I primarily teach "Retail Marketing Strategies" to undergraduate, Master of Marketing, and MBA students. This course examines the critical elements of successful omnichannel retail.
I served as the fractional Chief Marketing Officer for Optimum Retailing (OR), a B2B SAAS retail intelligence platform providing intuitive, scalable software solutions that help consumer-driven brands (like Verizon, Sephora, McDonald’s, and Adidas) easily, efficiently, and profitably manage their complex businesses. I led all of OR's brand-building and strategic marketing efforts, including the development of the company's brand positioning, marketing strategy and tactical marketing plans. I also led our talented roster of agency partners as they worked to drive brand awareness and sales revenue.
Appointed Hill Street's first Chief Marketing Officer in April 2018, reporting to the CEO and a member of the Executive Management Team. Responsibilities: ✅ Brand strategy and development, consumer insights, integrated marketing campaigns, go-to-market plans, corporate communications, media coverage and speaking engagements, investor relations, eCommerce (direct-to-consumer) business. Results: ✅ Developed and executed Hill Street's first integrated marketing campaign; generated over 6 million impressions across social media and led to 2.1 million people viewing the video content created. ✅ Drove an 8,400% increase in web traffic (versus the 30-days prior to the campaign's launch) with most traffic coming from first-time visitors. ✅ Drove a 300% increase in brand awareness of "Hill Street" amongst adults and a 450% increase amongst millennials.