George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
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.
Meet the Committee Members:
Matt Afinec
President and Chief Operating Officer, Business Operations
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club
Andrew Argo
Senior Director, Corporate Sponsorship & Business Development
New York Jets
Chris Armstrong
President and Alternate Governor
Wasserman Media Group
Adam Ashton
Club Operations, York Curling Club
Canada Games Council
Andrew Baker
VP International Relations and Public Affairs
Canadian Olympic Committee
Brian Baker
Country Business Manager - Canada
Dyla Brands
Brent Barootes
President and CEO
Partnership Group
Yvonne Bergmann
Vice President Commercial Strategy and Brand
Western Hockey League
Lyne Bessette
Board Member
Canadian Olympic Committee
Cheri Bradish
Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing
Ryerson University
Nathalie Cook
President Mr. Mom Music, Executive Producer, The Pitch
Ashley Curran
Associate Vice President, Sport Partnerships and Jumpstart Brand
Canadian Tire
Ward Dilse
Ontario Music Office
Ontario Creates
Patrice Drouin
Executive Consultant
PDR Management
Josh Epstein
Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Brand Consulting
Oakview Group
Kelly Fawcett
Head of Brand Office
TELUS
Julian Franklin
Principal
Franklin Management Group
Sandra Gage
Executive Director, Commercial Operations
FIFA World Cup 2026™ (Canada)
Sam Galet
Executive Vice-President, Head of Global Partnerships
IMG Canada
Kevin Gilmore
Founder & President
4Sport Consulting Inc
Bart Given
Managing Partner, Brand, IP & Representation, Sponsorship pulse
TORQUE Strategies
Jean Gosselin
Director, Communication and Marketing
Institut national du sport du Québec
Catherine Gosselin-Despres
Chief Sport Officer
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Gord Grace
President and CEO
Ontario University Athletics
Andrew Greenlaw
Senior Vice President, Brand, Community & Client Experience
CIBC
Mark Harrison
Founder - The T1 Agency
Founder - Black Talent Initiative
Chairperson of the Board - BBBS of Toronto
Gord Hendren
Managing Director
YouGov
Shannon Hosford
Chief Marketing Officer
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)
Theresa Howland
Executive Vice President Brand, Market Development & Employee Services
Calgary Stampede
Sean Humphrey
Vice President of Marketing
The Globe and Mail
Colin Jarvis
Director, Corporate Partnerships
VIFF
Nicol Kalman
Founder & President
AIP Connect
Sophie Kotsopoulos
Group Vice President
National Hockey League
Jim Kozak
Chief Operating Officer, Abbotsford Canucks - Rogers Forum - AHL Alternate Governor, Abbotsford Canucks
MediaCom Canada
Rachel Lewis
Executive Vice President, Restaurant Associates
Compass Group Canada
Steven Lewis
Co-Founder and President
XMC
Matthew Logue
Co-Founder
The Greater Agency
Dan MacKenzie
President
Canadian Hockey League (CHL)
Heather MacLean
President
ProSpeakers.com
Leah MacNab
Head of International Strategy & Operations
NBA Canada
Ian Malcolm
President and CEO
Lumency
Tim Maloney
Assistant Vice-President
Athletics & Ancillary Services at Dalhousie University
Tyler Mazereeuw
President and CEO
Canadian Elite Basketball League
Patrick McEleney
Executive Vice President & Partner
XMC
Garnet Nelson
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Unite Partnerships
Norm O'Reilly
Dean College of Business
University of New England
Atila Ozkaplan
VP, Production Operations
NBC Olympics
Sébastien Paradis
President & General Manager
Brassuers du Nord - Bière Borealé
Eric Pilote
Sports Consultant
Province of Quebec
Craig Reynolds
President & CEO
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Bill Robinson
Past CEO
Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame
Roy Roedger
President & CEO
SDI Marketing
Michael Rossi
Commercial Lead, Host City Partnerships for FIFA World Cup 2026
Toronto MLSE
Gavin Roth
Founder & Managing Director
Gavin Roth & Associates Revenue Consultants
Jacquie Ryan
CEO, Canadian Olympic Foundation
Chief Brand and Commerical Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee
Mark Sabourin
Coach
The Sponsorship Collective
Adrian Sciarra
President
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG)
Vijay Setlur
Sport Tourism
City of Brampton
Chris Shewfelt
MLSE Lead, FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto
MLSE
Tim Shipton
Executive Vice President, External Affairs & Gaming
Oilers Entertainment Group
Mark Silver
President
Ready Set Go
Bob Stellick
President
Stellick Marketing Communications Inc
Rob Swann
Chief Commerical Officer
Tennis Canada
Alyson Walker
Senior Vice President
Wasserman
Laurel Walzak
Associate Professor
Ryerson University
Trevor Whiffen
Partner
Dickinson Wright LLP Lawyers
John Wiggins
Co-Founder and CEO
Focused Dreams Forward Foundation