Canadian Marketing Association Announces New Board Chair and Two New Directors

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2026--

At its annual general meeting today, the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) announced that Meghan Nameth (president and owner, Pattern and Path Consulting) is the new chair of the board, and elected two new senior members as directors to further diversify the board.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520032986/en/

Nameth, who previously served as vice-chair, succeeds Alan Depencier, who will complete his term as chair. Joining the board as directors are Doug Milne, chief marketing and strategy officer, IGM Financial, and Sarah Armstrong, general manager and country manager, The Trade Desk Canada. Together, these appointments represent individuals from a broad cross-section of the marketing industry, bringing significant expertise to the board.

“Doug and Sarah bring significant senior marketing leadership experience to our board,” said Meghan Nameth. “I’m confident these directors, alongside our board members, will continue to challenge the community to recognize marketing’s critical role in driving Canada's prosperity and innovation agenda.”

Meghan brings more than 25 years of senior marketing leadership experience spanning consumer packaged goods, financial services and retail sectors. Her leadership has guided brands including Loblaw Companies, Hudson’s Bay Company, TD Bank, Procter & Gamble and Mars Canada. She has received industry recognition from Cannes Lions, CMA Awards, DA&D Pencil and One Show Pencil. She co-founded ShiftUp Coaching to develop marketing talent across the country.

Doug has over three decades of senior marketing leadership experience with global brands including Procter & Gamble, Mars and TD Bank. As a Chartered Marketer and Professional Engineer, he has guided organizations across the consumer, retail and financial services sectors through periods of growth. His business transformation expertise has been recognized through receiving a Silver Effie Award, a Silver Lion at Cannes, a Gold Reggie and Best of the Best at the CMA Awards. He contributes to the CMA’s Committees, sits on the board of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and is an ICD.D candidate through the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Education Program.

Sarah brings 20 years of senior leadership across full-funnel marketing and digital advertising at Amazon Ads, dentsu international and Publicis Media. At Amazon Ads, she held the position of head of global agencies and accounts, leading multinational teams and strategic partnerships with major holding companies and global brands to deliver integrated solutions at scale. She has a proven track record of delivering growth that consistently outpaces industry benchmarks and drives measurable business outcomes for Fortune 100 brands. Previously, Sarah served as a judge for national industry competitions and brings governance experience, including board service with the American Advertising Federation.

The complete list of board members for 2026-27 is:

“Our newly appointed board members reflect our drive and commitment to serve our community in ways that advance the marketing discipline in Canada,” said Esther Benzie, president and CEO of the CMA. “Electing leaders of this calibre across the marketing industry plays a key role in the way we show up, connect and lead marketing professionals. We’re thrilled to continue collaborating and delivering our mandate.”

About the Canadian Marketing Association

The CMA is the voice of marketing in Canada, and our purpose is to champion marketing’s powerful impact. We are the catalyst to help Canada’s marketers thrive today, while building the marketing mindset and environment of tomorrow.

We provide opportunities for our members from coast to coast to develop professionally, to contribute to marketing thought leadership, to build strong networks, and to strengthen the regulatory climate for business success. Our Chartered Marketer (CM) designation signifies that recipients are highly qualified and up to date with best practices, as reflected in the Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics and Standards.

We represent virtually all of Canada’s major business sectors, and all marketing disciplines, channels and technologies. We advocate with government stakeholders, and provide Canadian consumers with information to help them better understand their rights and obligations. For more information, visit thecma.ca.

Sarah Armstrong, general manager and country manager, The Trade Desk Canada

Doug Milne, chief marketing and strategy officer, IGM Financial

Meghan Nameth, president and owner, Pattern and Path Consulting

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)