ARLENE DICKINSON

Keynote: Monday, May 14  - 8:45am to 10:00am

Arlene Dickinson
CEO of Venture Communications Ltd.

Arlene is one of Canada's most renowned independent marketing communications entrepreneurs. After joining Venture as a partner in 1988, Arlene took over sole ownership in 1998 and has grown the company into a strategic and creative powerhouse for a blue-chip client list.

KEYNOTE TITLE: Power of Persuasion

Arlene believes strongly that marketing’s purpose is to deliver business results. Her vision has driven Venture’s growth, successfully building it from a local firm into one of Canada’s largest independent marketing firms, with offices in Calgary and Toronto.

Arlene’s accomplishments have been recognized with several honours and awards. They include: Global Television Woman of Vision; PROFIT and Chatelaine magazine’s TOP 100 Women Business Owners; the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence; Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame; Ad Rodeo’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and McGill University’s 2008 Management Achievement Award. Perhaps the greatest honour was recognition of Venture as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for three consecutive years. She is also the recipient of honorary degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University and NAIT.

A master entrepreneur with a keen eye for ideas that get results, Arlene has a successful track record of picking companies on the rise. Her instinct for emerging trends and sound investments is exemplified in her role as a panelist on the Gemini award-winning CBC hit series, the Dragons’ Den.

In addition to her roles as CEO of Venture, Dragon, mother of four children and grandmother of three, Arlene lends her time, skills and leadership to benefit the industry and the community. Over the years, Arlene has served on various boards including Ad Rodeo (chair) and the National Board for Kids Help Phone (co-chair). She is currently a director of the Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation and Chaordix, and sits on the Advisory Committee of the Stratford Institute at the University of Waterloo, the Leadership Council of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Editorial Advisory Board of Marketing Magazine, and is the National spokesperson for The Breakfast Clubs of Canada.