Municipal Branding Practice

Jennifer is an accomplished leader in Canadian business, government, and public affairs. She is renowned as an expert in this field, often being called upon by national media for commentary. Additionally, Jennifer has twice been named one of the “Top 25 People in the Capital” by Ottawa Life Magazine, one of Ottawa’s “Top Forty Under Forty” by the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, and was a finalist for Ottawa’s “Established Female Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Jennifer has actively taken on many business and community affairs roles, including President & CEO of the Canadian Energy Marketers Association (CEMA), Chair of the Board of the Canadian Transportation Alliance, Co-Host and Co-Founder of The Honest Talk podcast, Chair of the Village of Carp Business Improvement Association (City of Ottawa), Board Member of the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees for The Women in Technology Scholarship of Willis College, and Member of the Leadership Council of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

A communications and media relations professional with a long history in the TV and online news industry, Jennifer has a Bachelor of Journalism with combined Honours in Sociology from Carleton University. Over nearly 15 years in TV news, Jennifer worked as a reporter, videographer, and producer locally, and later as the Executive Producer of The West Block with Tom Clark on Global News.

During the years, Jennifer has gained a great understanding of the media maze and possesses a keen ability to spot and solve problems during a crisis. She also knows how to tell a story with impact. Jennifer uses these skills to help clients effectively shape and communicate their narratives. Jennifer provides strategic communications advice, crisis communications and media relations support, as well as media training for a list of clients including Crown corporations, national associations, and non-governmental organizations.

Jake is a public affairs strategist with 13 years of government and public relations experience. Previously working in the fast-paced, highly visible setting of Parliament Hill, Jake has a proven track record of success managing communications for large organizations that earn significant media attention and has held senior roles advising cabinet ministers and corporate leaders. Jake’s areas of specialization include strategic communications, media relations, crisis communications, government relations, and ghostwriting.

Jake continues to be actively involved in federal politics and previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the former Leader of the Official Opposition, Erin O’Toole. Jake also worked as a senior advisor and media spokesperson for former Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose, and the former Minister of Industry James Moore. He has been consistently recognized by the Hill Times as one of the top political staffers in federal politics and is often asked to contribute political commentary for national media outlets.

Dana is a marketing and communications professional with over 20 years of experience developing and executing unique marketing campaigns and events. She is a passionate and creative marketing strategist who has worked alongside some of the most successful and recognizable brands. Dana has extensive experience in strategic event planning and execution, with a creative vision for capturing audiences. She is a results-driven team player committed to delivering high-quality work.

Prior to joining Team Syntax, Dana worked at the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club where she was the Manager of Brand Integration. There, she developed and executed strategic marketing initiatives and led numerous customer acquisition and customer experience initiatives.

With a focus on brand and strategy and a background in design, Liane is passionate about storytelling and communicating. At Syntax, she is responsible for developing and executing effective marketing campaigns, events, and conferences.

A creative thinker and effective marketing and communications expert, Liane has over 15 years of experience in brand marketing roles. She has worked with several national brands creating local and national marketing campaigns and partnership plans from concept to execution. Liane spent 11 seasons working for the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club. In addition to her marketing and partnership experience, she has managed several marquee events for the NHL and Ottawa Senators including the Stanley Cup Finals, NHL All Star Game, Heritage Classic, and the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

Megan is a marketing and communications specialist with a background in journalism and brand management. For nearly 15 years she worked in newsrooms across the country, most recently as a reporter and TV news anchor in Ottawa. Throughout her career, Megan has covered everything from breaking news to current events and politics.

She specializes in media relations, promotions, content creation, and brand strategies. Megan holds a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University, as well as an honours BA from the University of Windsor in English & Communication, Media, Film Studies (CMF). She also attended the Broadcast Journalism program at Seneca College. Megan speaks English and French.

Kayla is an experienced and skilled senior digital media strategist who has worked on a variety of multimedia projects ranging from corporate branding and custom illustrations to social media content, print advertisements, and more. In the past 13 years, Kayla has gained a wide range of experience working with many different industries and has done work for hundreds of clients in the petroleum, health, not-for-profit, and travel sectors, and more.

With five years’ experience in print, she is very knowledgeable about how to see a project to the end. She also brings hand-drawn illustration, photography, and animation skills to the table. In addition to creating logos and signage for Whitewater Region and the Village of Carp, Kayla has worked collaboratively on design for Inspiring Healthy Futures, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, and many others.

Vanessa has close to 20 years of experience in desktop publishing, graphic design, and art direction. She has worked on a variety of multimedia projects including marketing campaigns, print collateral, news page layout and design, signage, corporate branding, and more.

Vanessa began her career in local media and has since developed brand identities for many businesses and professionals in the health and fitness industry. Before joining Syntax, she was a senior designer and creative supervisor for Costco Wholesale Canada. In her 10 years with Costco, Vanessa was responsible for the design and development of high-end print products including brochures, magazines, packaging, and training manuals.