Trish Wheaton
Chief Marketing Officer
Chairperson, Canada
Wunderman
Trish Wheaton has an uncanny ability to make even the most complex challenges simple. She systematically breaks down the problem, takes a step back to see the bigger picture and then formulates a strategy that zeros in on the right communications solution. It's a skill that has served her well throughout her career.
Perhaps that's why Wunderman named her the agency's first chief marketing officer, responsible for new business and brand stewardship, a position she's held since November 2007. As chief Brand steward Trish was responsible for the network-wide launch of Wunderman: the Next 50 Years, an initiative born to commemorate the agency's 50-year milestone in 2008. Among other activities, the initiative included refreshment of the Wunderman brand identity and the company's first ever Global Rally.
Prior, Trish was on assignment in the UK, first heading the Microsoft Team there. Then, as COO of Wunderman in the UK, she oversaw the agency's transformation into the largest data, digital and relationship marketing agency in the UK and won two significant pieces of business, Orange and Land Rover CRM in a fiercely competitive market.
Before crossing the Atlantic, Trish served as president of Wunderman Canada and turned it into a full-service agency, offering data-driven marketing services across all customer channels. Today, the Toronto office clients, global in nature and across a range of industry sectors, include: BP, Kraft North America, Citi, Ford, Jaguar/Land Rover, Rogers, Royal Canadian Mint and Wyeth. Trish remains active in Canada's business and serves as the agency's chairperson.
Working her way up through the ranks at Wunderman, where she began her career in 1985, Trish speaks many languages - communications, consulting, data, digital, media, promotions, and events. A multi-media and loyalty specialist, Trish headed accounts across a variety of categories including financial services, entertainment, loyalty, telecommunications, retail and has won numerous industry awards.
A well-known industry figure appearing frequently in the media and industry events, Trish is an active member of the marketing community. She has been a featured speaker at the World Advertising Research Center's Advertising & Consumers Conference in London and is a frequent speaker at the Direct Marketing Association's national conference. Trish was emcee for eleven years of the annual RSVP awards ceremony (the largest marketing event in Canada) held by the Canadian Marketing Association. She also served as Chairman of the CMA's Board of Directors, was Chair of the CMA annual convention and in 2000 received the association’s Directors' Choice award for contributions to the evolution of the CMA.
Prior to joining Wunderman, Trish was head of Direct Marketing for Yale University Press where she was also Assistant Editor of the Yale Series of Younger Poets. She spent three years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, East Africa. Trish holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus, an MA in American Studies from the University of Minnesota.