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Stephanie Freeman's profile
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Languages

English
French

Stephanie Freeman

Group Strategy Director at Initiative
Hourly rate (non-binding)

Preferred skills to work with

Go-to-market Strategy
Data Analytics
Project Management
Market Research
Digital Marketing

All Skills

General (3)
Data Analytics,
Market Research,
Advertising
Management (1)
Project Management
Marketing (1)
Digital Marketing
Other (5)
Go-to-market Strategy,
SEO,
SEM,
Media Planning,
Creativity and Innovation

About

I've focused on one mission throughout my career: Helping brands (and businesses) to grow. With that mission always in mind, my experience in marketing, media, and analytics has given me both a broad and deep understanding of which levers to pull for marketing effectiveness (and build brands faster).


I've been lucky enough to work with some of the world's best brands - like Amazon, Royal Bank of Canada, and the best of tourism, like Destination Canada. Being a part of the Canadian travel industry's recovery from COVID has definitely been a career highlight.


Love for marketing effectiveness, finding out how things work and why, reading, and being outside in the sunshine.

Experiences

Group Strategy Director
Initiative
February 2024 - Present (1 years and 5 months)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Strategy Development: Lead go-to-market strategy development for large media portfolio of 8 brands, developing holistic multi-year marketing programs with client and agency partners. Continually exceeded targets, including growing tourist visitation by 25% vs. competitive set and supporting Amazon to its largest Prime Day sales.

• Market Research & Insights: Lead market research across agency and on projects to inform strategy and senior leaders, including segmentation, market landscape, and user journeys.

• Growing Capabilities: Operationalise strategy and build team capabilities through process transformation and training, indirectly leading teams of 40+ under this scope. Launched two iterations of agency planning product, achieving 100% adoption, and 89% positive feedback from clients and teams.

• Innovation & Testing: Lead marketing innovation through strategy, creative partnerships, content, and testing to maximize marketing impact from spend.


Markets: Europe (France, UK, Germany), North America (US, Canada, Mexico), Asia Pacific.

Clients: Amazon, Royal Bank of Canada (#2 bank in Canada), Destination Canada, plus more.

Categories: B2B & B2C in Travel, Retail, Finance

Strategy Director
Initiative
January 2022 - February 2024 (2 years and 2 months)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Strategy Manager
Initiative
April 2021 - January 2022 (10 months)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Manager, Analytics & Performance
Initiative
October 2018 - March 2021 (2 years and 6 months)

Led global performance and analytics discipline for travel clients at Initiative Canada, increasing marketing effectiveness through media planning, analytics, research, testing, and optimization.

  • Marketing Effectiveness
  • Analytics & Data Visualization
  • Research & Testing
  • Project Management
  • Media Strategy & Media Planning

Markets: North America (US, Canada, Mexico), Europe (France, UK, Germany), Asia Pacific.

Categories: B2B & B2C in Travel

Planning Manager
The&Partnership
October 2017 - August 2018 (11 months)

Led media strategy, planning, and execution for large finance client (B2C and B2B), contributing to significant increases in acquisition on new and established products.

  • Media Strategy
  • Media Planning
  • Project Management
  • Account Service
Digital Director
Wavemaker
August 2016 - August 2017 (1 years and 1 month)
Brisbane QLD, Australia

Led digital strategy and execution across client portfolio, exceeding client acquisition and marketing targets.

  • Digital Strategy & Digital Media
  • Analytics & Marketing Effectiveness
  • Brand Partnerships
  • Client Service

Media Circus merged with MEC (now known as Wavemaker) in August 2016 and this was a continuation of my previous role at Media Circus.


Categories: B2C & B2B in CPG, eCommerce / Retail, Finance, Travel, Lottery, Politics & Lobbying, Consumer Services

Digital Director
Media Circus
December 2015 - July 2016 (8 months)
Brisbane QLD, Australia

Led the digital business unit and team at Media Circus - developing product offering to elevate the work, managing P&L to grow revenue, and marketing to attract and retain clients.

  • Digital Strategy & Digital Media
  • Analytics & Marketing Effectiveness
  • Brand Partnerships
  • Client Service

Categories: B2C & B2B in CPG, eCommerce / Retail, Finance, Travel, Lottery, Politics & Lobbying, Consumer Services


Media Circus merged with Wavemaker (then known as MEC) as of August 2016, and my role continued there.

Digital Account Manager
Media Circus
June 2014 - December 2015 (1 years and 7 months)
Brisbane QLD, Australia

• Coordonné le planning et la réalisation des campagnes digitales jusqu’à leur finalisation en assurant l’atteinte des résultats.

Account Manager
Marketing Results Australia
January 2013 - December 2014 (2 years)
Brisbane QLD, Australia

Led digital marketing strategy and execution for client portfolio, exceeding client acquisition targets and client revenue targets.

  • Digital Marketing & Digital Strategy
  • Digital Media
  • Growth Marketing: UX, CRM, CRO, Testing, Acquisition Strategy
  • Copywriting & Content Creation
Account Executive
Marketing Results Australia
January 2012 - December 2013 (2 years)
Brisbane QLD, Australia
Marketing Specialist
Recruitment Coach
January 2010 - December 2012 (3 years)
Brisbane QLD, Australia

Marketing plan development and execution for a HR consultancy firm, growing client base beyond targets. Focuses were digital marketing and website development, public relations, CRM, and events marketing.

Education

PuMP Certification (Performance Measurement Process)
PuMP Certification (Performance Measurement Process), APMG International youracclaim.com
April 2025
Human-Centric Innovation
Human-Centric Innovation, Hyper Island
February 2023
TV Masters - TV Planning & Buying
TV Masters - TV Planning & Buying, Thinkbox
December 2020
Creativity for Business Growth
Creativity for Business Growth, Cannes Lions School 42courses.com
October 2020
Marketing, French
Bachelor of Business (Distinction), QUT (Queensland University of Technology)

Skills: Brand Management · Consumer Insight · Data-driven Marketing

Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification
Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification, Tableau Software youracclaim.com
Behavioural Science for Brands
Behavioural Science for Brands, Cannes Lions School 42courses.com