Leadership
Michael J. Beckerman
President
As President, Mike’s primary role is to provide overall direction to Ariad and to offer clients effective strategic guidance. Within the company, Mike is Ariad’s star quarterback, providing direction to the whole team, ensuring Ariad attracts the industry’s best and brightest and guiding their growth within an empowering and engaging culture.
Formerly Chief Marketing Officer for one of Canada’s Big Five Banks and a senior marketing executive with Nike in Canada and internationally, Mike has a wealth of experience in consumer marketing, brand building and management. Mike draws on this expertise to help Ariad’s clients create successful strategies that get results.
Email Mike: mbeckerman@ariad.ca
Baron Manett
Senior Vice President, Strategy
As one of Canada’s leading brand builders and a frequent speaker on brand experience and audience engagement, Baron applies his distinctive vision and expertise to the current and future needs of Ariad clients. Baron is adept at developing and executing integrated strategies that grow brands and align messages with maximum results.
Baron’s notable career spans the worlds of digital, branded-entertainment, partnership & promotions, and experiential marketing. His relentless focus on innovation, quality and results, coupled with his experience in launching and growing some of North America’s leading brands enable the development of marketing ideas and programs that connect and resonate with both consumer and B2B audiences.
Email Baron: bmanett@ariad.ca
Mark Michaud
Senior Vice President
Mark’s unique blend of financial-services know-how, marketing savvy and creative content insight have enabled him to lead Ariad’s account teams and creative staff to produce innovative yet strategically sound award-winning work for more than 10 years.
A true marketing-communications Renaissance man, Mark has developed leading-edge customized communications programs for the financial services industry, is the award-winning creator of Ariad’s MarketingSense program and the author of many presentations and published articles on marketing and communication trends. Mark’s expertise has also been cited in The Globe and Mail, Investment Executive, PC World, and Direct Marketing News.
Email Mark: mmichaud@ariad.ca
Richard Marcil
General Manager, Healthcare
With nearly two decades of experience in consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and biotech, Richard is Ariad’s resident healthcare specialist. His expertise is invaluable in helping healthcare clients launch new products, accelerate market development and deliver superior business results.
Richard’s track record of business building spans Silicon Valley startups to global powerhouses like Johnson & Johnson, and includes leadership roles in sales, marketing and business development.
Email Richard: richardmarcil@ariad.ca
Jo Bower
Senior Vice President, Operations
Jo provides strong leadership for new technology initiatives at Ariad. With a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of London and a decade of senior-level international experience in logistics and operations with the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Jo brings a wealth of knowledge and depth of international experience to this key role. Jo draws on this expertise to ensure Ariad offers innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients while maintaining the highest level of executional excellence.
Within Ariad, Jo oversees a wide range of operational responsibilities, including: Human resources, systems and information technology, business administration, physical and digital security.
Email Jo: jbower@ariad.ca
Hugh R. Furneaux
Chairman and Founder
On an Air Canada flight in 1989, Hugh jotted down some thoughts about setting up an agency focused on branded content – taking complicated and technical messaging and making it engaging and relevant for consumers. He founded Ariad shortly after that flight. Ariad quickly evolved from excelling at customer newsletters to the mass customization of marketing messages to becoming a Canadian pioneer in e-marketing.
As the former Chairman of the Canadian Direct Marketing Association (now the Canadian Marketing Association) and the 2001 recipient of the CMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Hugh now spends his time outside Ariad sharing his marketing communications expertise with not-for-profit organizations.
Email Hugh: furneaux@ariad.ca
