Selection Committee

WHAT DOES THE SELECTION COMMITTEE DO?

The Selections Committee is an esteemed group of Canadian sports business leaders who select the 5 to Watch award winners in the context of award eligibility and criteria. The committee is sensitive to the diversity of all candidates in determining the 5 to Watch award winners via the voting process.

Honourary Co-Chairs

Alyson Walker, co-chair of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

 

ALYSON WALKER

Honourary Co-Chair
Chief Commerical Officer
Overactive Media Group

Learn more about Alyson

Alyson Walker is the Senior Vice President of Business at OverActive Media, a global esports company focused on building winning franchises and creating unrivalled fan experiences. Alyson is responsible for driving business and audience growth through Global Partnerships, Marketing, Content, PR & Events.

Alyson has extensive experience in the sports & entertainment industries and a proven track record for success and leadership as demonstrated in her previous roles. Alyson was the Vice President of Brand Partnerships & Client Strategy at Bell Media focused on developing content and data solutions for advertisers across Canada’s leading media properties and platforms. Previous to Bell Media, she led the network & broadcast teams at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC. Prior to working in professional sport, she enjoyed immersing herself in Canadian amateur sport at the Canadian Olympic Committee leading sponsorship sales and service, merchandise licensing and commercial rights management. Alyson was part of the team that brought the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games to Canadians in her role leading digital sales and brand partnerships with Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Consortium.

Alyson holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a BSc from McGill University. She is a proud WISE (Women in Sport and Events) Toronto board member, a member of the Ryerson MBA in Sport Business Advisory Board, a selection committee member with the Sponsorship Marketing Awards, the Honorary Co-Chair of the 2020 5 to Watch Awards and a ReachUp board member - a non-profit organization focused on using sport to build confidence and inspire healthy lifestyles in Indigenous children and youth. Alyson is a passionate mentor with a number of organizations including The Future Sport Lab, SMCC and GEM (Girls E-Mentorship).

Tyler Mazereeuw, co-chair of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

 

TYLER MAZEREEUW

Honourary Co-Chair
Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer
Canadian Football League

Learn more about Tyler

Tyler Mazereeuw is the Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at the Canadian Football League, one of Canada’s preeminent national sports and entertainment properties that include nine world-class teams and the iconic Grey Cup. His robust portfolio of executive responsibilities includes partnerships, licensing, broadcast, brand, digital, and content. Tyler joined the sports and entertainment industry after graduating from George Brown’s Sport and Event post-graduate program in 2001, and never looked back. He’s found success through his creative and relationship-first mindset in roles with RBC, Toronto International Film Festival, Molson, IMG and the CFL. Tyler has been an active speaker and advocates for sharing best practices on sponsorshipalliance.com, industry collaboration and finding time for the next generation of talent through the SMCC since 2011, serving as a board member, speaker, judge and the national chairman from 2015-2017, where he founded the industry’s first mentorship program – SMCC Activate, that partners industry-leading executives with aspiring leaders of tomorrow. In 2015, Tyler was recognized by his peers as one of Canada’s ‘5 to Watch’ and is honoured and grateful to serve as the honourary co-chair of the 2020 Awards.

 

Selection Committee Members

Matt Afinec, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Matt Afinec

President & COO
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club

Andrew Argo, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Andrew Argo

Senior Director, Corporate Sponsorship & Business Development
New York Jets

Chris Armstrong, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Chris Armstrong

Executive Vice President, Talent & Innovation
Wasserman Media Group

Adam Ashton, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Adam Ashton

Advisor
Canada Games Council

 Dr. Ian Austin, Dean, Centre for Business.

Ian Austin

Dean, Centre for Business
George Brown College

Andrew Baker, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Andrew Baker

VP International Relations and Public Affairs
Canadian Olympic Committee

Brian Baker, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Brian Baker

Country Business Manager - Canada
Dyla Brands

Brent Barootes, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Brent Barootes

President and CEO
Partnership Group

Yvonne Bergmann, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Yvonne Bergmann

Vice President, Business
Western Hockey League

Lyne Bessette, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Lyne Bessette

Board Member
Canadian Olympic Committee

Cheri Bradish, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Cheri Bradish

Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing
Ryerson University

Maria-Leena Clarke, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Maria-Leena Clarke

Executive Director
Canada Basketball Foundation

Nathalie Cook, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Nathalie Cook

Executive Advisor

Ward Dilse, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Ward Dilse

Ontario Music Office
Ontario Creates

Patrice Drouin, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Patrice Drouin

Executive Consultant
PDR Management

Josh Epstein, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Josh Epstein

Senior Vice President
Oakview Group

Kelly Fawcett, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Kelly Fawcett

Director, Corporate Communications
TELUS

Julian Franklin, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Julian Franklin

Vice President
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)

Sam Galet, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Sam Galet

Senior Vice President, Managing Director
IMG Canada

Kevin Gilmore, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Kevin Gilmore

Founder & President
4Sport Consulting Inc

Bart Given, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Bart Given

Managing Director
TORQUE Strategies

Sandra Gage, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Sandra Gage

Chief Marketing Officer
Canada Soccer Association

Jean Gosselin, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Jean Gosselin

Director, Communication and Marketing
Institut national du sport du Québec

Catherine Gosselin-Despres, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Catherine Gosselin-Despres

Executive Director, Sport
Canadian Paralympic Committee

Gord Grace, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Gord Grace

President and CEO
Ontario University Athletics

Andrew Greenlaw, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Andrew Greenlaw

Vice President, Community & Client
CIBC

Mark Harrison, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Mark Harrison

Founder - The T1 Agency
Founder - Black Talent Initiative
Chairperson of the Board - BBBS of Toronto

Gord Hendren, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Gord Hendren

Managing Director
YouGov

Shannon Hosford, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Shannon Hosford

Chief Marketing Officer
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)

Theresa Howland, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Theresa Howland

Vice President, Sponsorship, Marketing & Employee Services
Calgary Stampede

Sean Humphrey, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Sean Humphrey

Vice President of Marketing
The Globe and Mail

Colin Jarvis, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Colin Jarvis

Director, Corporate Partnerships
VIFF

Nicole Kalman, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Nicol Kalman

Founder & President
API Connect

Sophie Kotsopoulos, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Sophie Kotsopoulos

Vice President of Integrated Marketing
National Hockey League

Jim Kozak, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Jim Kozak

SVP and Group Head, Mediacom - Group M
Sports, Entertainment & Culture, Canada

Rachel Lewis, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Rachel Lewis

Chief Operating Officer
Vancouver Whitecaps

Steven Lewis, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Steven Lewis

Co-Founder and President
XMC

Matthew Logue, member of 5 to Watch Nomination Review Team

Matthew Logue

Co-Founder
The Greater Agency

Dan MacKenzie, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Dan MacKenzie

President
Canadian Hockey League (CHL)

Heather MacLean, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Heather MacLean

President
ProSpeakers.com

5 to Watch award winner

Leah MacNab

Managing Director
NBA Canada

Ian Malcolm, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Ian Malcolm

President and CEO
Lumency

Tim Maloney, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Tim Maloney

Executive Director - Varsity Athletics
Dalhousie University

Patrick McEleney, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Patrick McEleney

Executive Vice President & Partner
XMC

Garnet Nelson, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Garnet Nelson

Co-Founder & Managing Director
Unite Partnerships

Norm O'Reilly, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Norm O'Reilly

Dean, Graduate School of Business
University of Maine

Atila Ozkaplan,member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Atila Ozkaplan

VP, Production Operations
NBC Olympics

Sebastien Paradis, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Sébastien Paradis

President & General Manager
Brassuers du Nord - Bière Borealé

Eric Pilote, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Eric Pilote

Sports Consultant
Province of Quebec

Craig Reynolds, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Craig Reynolds

President & CEO
Saskatchewan Roughriders

Bill Robinson, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Bill Robinson

Past CEO
Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame

Roy Roedger, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Roy Roedger

President & CEO
SDI Marketing

Michael Rossi, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Michael Rossi

President & Founder
Voce Leadership

Gavin Roth, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Gavin Roth

Founder & Managing Director
Gavin Roth & Associates Revenue Consultants

Jacquie Ryan, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Jacquie Ryan

CEO, Canadian Olympic Foundation
Chief Brand and Commerical Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee

Mark Sabourin, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Mark Sabourin

Coach
The Sponsorship Collective

Adrian Sciarra, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Adrian Sciarra

President
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG)

Vijay Setlur, 5 to Watch Selection Committee member

Vijay Setlur

Marketing Instructor, Schulich School of Business, York University
Marketing Instructor, Professional Football Development, Concacaf

Chris Shewfelt, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Chris Shewfelt

Vice President, Business Operations - Toronto Argonauts & Toronto FC
MLSE

Tim Shipton, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Tim Shipton

Executive Vice President, Communications, Public Affairs & Gaming
Oilers Entertainment Group

Mark Silver, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Mark Silver

Founder and CEO
Parleh Media Group

Bob Stellick, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Bob Stellick

President
Stellick Marketing Communications Inc

Rob Swann, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Rob Swann

Chief Commerical Officer
Tennis Canada

Laurel Walzak

Laurel Walzak

Associate Professor
Ryerson University

Trevor Whiffen, member of 5 to Watch Selection Committee

Trevor Whiffen

Partner
Dickinson Wright LLP Lawyers

John Wiggins

Vice President, Organizational Culture and Inclusion
Toronto Raptors