Our Advisors
ClearIntent™ has assembled a world-class advisory board to guide the company’s future growth and success in the marketplace in:
Marketing • Finance • Alliances • Not-For-Profit
Marketing
Elizabeth Stewart,
Principal, Stewart Associates Marketing Support Services, Toronto, Canada
Since 1989, Elizabeth Stewart’s company has provided strategic marketing planning, communications support, and project management services to small and large professional service firms, including leading A/E firms.
Originally from Vancouver, she was recruited from a successful interior planning and design practice in Vancouver to revive a failed Toronto design studio. Between 1973 and 1983, she built a $1,000,000 business that served a top-tier client base. Subsequently, one of those clients, a multinational financial services company, made her a marketing vice president, a position she left after six years to rejoin the world of design.
Elizabeth was a founding member of the Group for Design in Business, where she launched and managed the Financial Post Design Effectiveness Awards (now the Design Exchange Awards).
Elizabeth has been a guest speaker and seminar leader on marketing principles and techniques for ARIDO, IIDEX NeoCon, Society of Design Administration Canada, OAA, the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Toronto Board of Trade. She was the kick-off presenter on market positioning for the VentureDrive 2001 conference on raising venture capital. She has also created and conducted custom-designed workshop programs on marketing for partners and staff of A/E firms. She teaches at the Design Management program at Ryerson University, where she was honoured with an Instructor of the Year award, and formerly taught at the Women’s Entrepreneurship program, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
Elizabeth Stewart received her BA from UBC, following her studies in Interior Design at Mount Royal College, Calgary. She was nominated for the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1988 and again in 1992. Her career and entrepreneurial approach are featured in the best-selling book, In The Company of Women, Katherine Gay, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 1997.
Finance
Doug Lawson, BBA, C.A.
VP Finance, CFO EARTHFresh Foods Corp., Toronto, Canada
Doug has over 24 years of senior business and financial management experience across a diverse range of industries and size of businesses including Molson Breweries (consumer products), TecSyn International (TSE listed manufacturing company) and Bowne Internet Solutions (Internet solutions provider). Currently, Doug is Vice President Finance & CFO of EARTHFresh Foods Corp., a $100 million produce company.
Prior to joining EARTHFresh, Doug worked as a consultant a number of start-up companies in consumer packaged goods and technology industries. Doug has expertise in strategic business planning, operations, financial analysis and modeling. Doug is also a member of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Toronto and the Counselling Foundation of Canada.
Alliances
Lynn Hainer
VP Client Services, Ticoon Technology, Toronto, Canada
As Vice President Client Services, Lynn manages all aspects of new client implementations and client relationships.
Prior to joining Ticoon, Lynn managed the Strategic Alliance and Channel Sales Group at InSystems. Previous to this experience, Lynn was Director of Channel Sales at 724 Solutions where she ran 724's Sales and Marketing group for the America's as well as the Global Alliance Program.
Lynn has also held positions with IBM in their Banking & Finance and Product Management groups, as well as various Retail Banking and Marketing Management positions with Canadian Financial Institutions.
Not-for-profit
Melanie MacDonald
CEO, World Neighbors, Inc., Oklahoma City, USA
Melanie Macdonald has more than 26 years of experience in nonprofit management, both at the local and international level. Before coming to World Neighbors, Melanie was the principal owner of The Hopetown Group where she consulted with not-for-profit organizations and provided executive coaching to chief executive officers and senior managers.
As executive director of CUSO, the Canadian, non-governmental version of the U.S. Peace Corps, Melanie oversaw a 30-country program with a $24 million budget, 110 staff and 250 cooperants. During her tenure at CUSO, Melanie was elected chairperson of the International Development Executives? Association, an organization of CEOs that represents Canada's largest NGOs.
While serving as the chief financial officer for the United Church of Canada, Melanie coordinated a $50 million budget, oversaw a staff of 95 and delivered services to 4,000 member congregations.
Melanie's career as the chief administrative officer in the Township of Cavan, Millbrook, Canada, and two executive posts within the YWCA in Peterborough and Toronto, provided wide-ranging experience and skills for her subsequent positions.
Melanie was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Social Work (equivalent) from McGill University. Melanie has traveled throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean. She has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Greece, Germany and the Azores. Melanie has a knowledge of French and German and recently published “The Executive Woman's Journal: a practical handbook for senior staff leaders of not-for-profits.”
Melanie expressed her pleasure in accepting the role with World Neighbors and said, “Building on founder Dr. John L. Peters' fine legacy, I am looking forward to working with the staff team, board, partners and friends of World Neighbors so that, together, we can contribute even more in the years ahead.”
Interested in joining our Advisory Board?
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