Meet Our Judges

Man smiling

Brian McOstrich

SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Aviso Wealth

Brian is responsible for leading brand, marketing, and corporate communications as well as digital marketing and user experience for all of Aviso Wealth’s lines of business, including online brokerage and digital wealth, asset management, correspondent and institutional, and dealer services. He serves on Aviso Wealth’s Executive Committee.

Brian has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Aviso Wealth, he held executive and senior management roles with some of Canada’s leading wealth management firms.

Brian is a recipient of the Chartered Marketer professional designation granted by the Canadian Marketing Association and holds a BA from the University of Toronto.

Man looking away and smiling

Daniel Francavilla

Partner & Lead Strategist, King Street Media

Daniel is a marketing advisor, certified brand strategist, founder and mentor making a positive impact. He is the recipient of a 40 Under 40 Award and a Business Excellence Award. Daniel founded Now Creative Group in 2013 which was acquired by King Street Media in 2021 where he is a Partner and Lead Strategist. The agency provides branding, growth marketing, and content creation services to clients ranging from startups and nonprofits to Canada’s largest brands. Daniel is passionate about helping others create social change and founded non-profit organization ACCESS as a student in 2006, through which he now supports youth who are building their own initiatives for social good.

Man with gray hair and black rimmed glasses

David Barnes

Executive Creative Director, King Street Media

Acreative leader with a focus on brand-building, culture, innovation andentrepreneurship. Over the past two decades, he's applied that thinking to helpproduce award-winning work for companies such as Great Gulf Homes, HomeTechnology, Nespresso, and Google to name just a few.

Man with white facial hair wearing sunglasses

Gary Lintern

President, Chief Yoda, Tenzing Communications

Prior to founding Tenzing in 1989, Gary started as a copywriter with national ad agencies, and by the ripe age of 28, became the Global Marketing Director for high-tech darling Mitel Corporation. Since then, he has created at least 100 brands, countless brand communications campaigns and earned 30+ AIME/MACU awards among others for clients like Libro, Meridian, Northern CU, CUBOS, Frontline and Niagara CU. Other experience includes Kootenay Savings (Elevatus), Russell Investments, Perrier, EY Canada, Deloitte and University of Guelph. Gary's great skill is in producing brand stories that result in preference. His great love is a 1952 cedar canoe.

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Katie Burns

Director of Strategy, Tenzing Communications

Katie combines 10+ years of brand strategy, hybrid media strategy and digital communications expertise into a powerful talent who works tirelessly on behalf of her clients. With a degree in Anthropology and a Marketing top-up, her brand dev. and campaign experiences include Libro brand and marketing campaigns, EY Canada (Ernst and Young), Bruce County Economic Development, FP Canada (CFPs), The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group and front/back end web development for the CBV Institute and the Ontario Brain Institute. Katie's great skill is in creating brand strategies that are designed for deployment in the real world. Her great love is urban farming.

Man with short black hair smiling

Nil Patel

Director of Business Development, Environics

Nil Patel has 15+  years of experience servicing both US and Canadian Retail Banks and Credit Unions.  As Director of Business Development for Environics Analytics, Nil works closely with our 25+ Credit Unions partners across Canada and support them by providing the right tools and insights to effectively segment their members and markets, and achieve the greatest ROI from their marketing resources. Environics works vigorously in developing innovative end-to-end solutions that help Marketers identify the right audience for their campaigns, create stronger messaging, gain better ad performance, and achieve better response rates.

Man smiling

Paul McAfee

Regional Vice President of Business Development, NewGround

Paul McAfee is the Regional Vice President of Business Development at NewGround. With more than 30 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record of success in the financial services industry. Prior to joining NewGround, he held numerous credit union executive positions, including serving as the COO of North Peace Savings & Credit Union.  Paul has been heavily involved in numerous regional and national industry committees; including President of the Marketing Association for Credit Unions of Canada.   Paul has received two designations through the Credit Union Executive Society; Certified Chief Executive (CCE) and Certified Innovation Executive (CIE). His recent focus has been helping credit unions with branch and head office design, strategic-planning, brand development, innovation, process improvement, sales and service leadership, and marketing.

Woman with shoulder length brown hair smiling

Trina Tucker

Creative Director, NATIONAL Public Relations

Trina has nearly twenty years of experience designing and art directing advertising campaigns, building brand identities, and engaging audiences through a variety of digital and ambient executions. Trina is what some people in the business call an Idea Factory. As Creative Director at NATIONAL Atlantic, she has a gift for looking at a brief and seeing countless creative possibilities almost immediately. Thoughtful and meticulous, her ability to make lateral creative leaps constantly results in surprising ideas, then crafted flawlessly.

Trina has received many accolades for her work and has been featured in industry publications. She’s a big thinker and treats every project as a fresh opportunity to create a unique, creative response.

Man smiling

Brian McOstrich

SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Aviso Wealth

Brian is responsible for leading brand, marketing, and corporate communications as well as digital marketing and user experience for all of Aviso Wealth’s lines of business, including online brokerage and digital wealth, asset management, correspondent and institutional, and dealer services. He serves on Aviso Wealth’s Executive Committee.

Brian has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Aviso Wealth, he held executive and senior management roles with some of Canada’s leading wealth management firms.

Brian is a recipient of the Chartered Marketer professional designation granted by the Canadian Marketing Association and holds a BA from the University of Toronto.

Man looking away and smiling

Daniel Francavilla

Partner & Lead Strategist, King Street Media

Daniel is a marketing advisor, certified brand strategist, founder and mentor making a positive impact. He is the recipient of a 40 Under 40 Award and a Business Excellence Award. Daniel founded Now Creative Group in 2013 which was acquired by King Street Media in 2021 where he is a Partner and Lead Strategist. The agency provides branding, growth marketing, and content creation services to clients ranging from startups and nonprofits to Canada’s largest brands. Daniel is passionate about helping others create social change and founded non-profit organization ACCESS as a student in 2006, through which he now supports youth who are building their own initiatives for social good.

Man with gray hair and black rimmed glasses

David Barnes

Executive Creative Director, King Street Media

Acreative leader with a focus on brand-building, culture, innovation andentrepreneurship. Over the past two decades, he's applied that thinking to helpproduce award-winning work for companies such as Great Gulf Homes, HomeTechnology, Nespresso, and Google to name just a few.

Man with white facial hair wearing sunglasses

Gary Lintern

President, Chief Yoda, Tenzing Communications

Prior to founding Tenzing in 1989, Gary started as a copywriter with national ad agencies, and by the ripe age of 28, became the Global Marketing Director for high-tech darling Mitel Corporation. Since then, he has created at least 100 brands, countless brand communications campaigns and earned 30+ AIME/MACU awards among others for clients like Libro, Meridian, Northern CU, CUBOS, Frontline and Niagara CU. Other experience includes Kootenay Savings (Elevatus), Russell Investments, Perrier, EY Canada, Deloitte and University of Guelph. Gary's great skill is in producing brand stories that result in preference. His great love is a 1952 cedar canoe.

Woman with brown hair and red rimmed glasses smiling

Katie Burns

Director of Strategy, Tenzing Communications

Katie combines 10+ years of brand strategy, hybrid media strategy and digital communications expertise into a powerful talent who works tirelessly on behalf of her clients. With a degree in Anthropology and a Marketing top-up, her brand dev. and campaign experiences include Libro brand and marketing campaigns, EY Canada (Ernst and Young), Bruce County Economic Development, FP Canada (CFPs), The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group and front/back end web development for the CBV Institute and the Ontario Brain Institute. Katie's great skill is in creating brand strategies that are designed for deployment in the real world. Her great love is urban farming.

Man with short black hair smiling

Nil Patel

Director of Business Development, Environics

Nil Patel has 15+  years of experience servicing both US and Canadian Retail Banks and Credit Unions.  As Director of Business Development for Environics Analytics, Nil works closely with our 25+ Credit Unions partners across Canada and support them by providing the right tools and insights to effectively segment their members and markets, and achieve the greatest ROI from their marketing resources. Environics works vigorously in developing innovative end-to-end solutions that help Marketers identify the right audience for their campaigns, create stronger messaging, gain better ad performance, and achieve better response rates.

Man smiling

Paul McAfee

Regional Vice President of Business Development, NewGround

Paul McAfee is the Regional Vice President of Business Development at NewGround. With more than 30 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record of success in the financial services industry. Prior to joining NewGround, he held numerous credit union executive positions, including serving as the COO of North Peace Savings & Credit Union.  Paul has been heavily involved in numerous regional and national industry committees; including President of the Marketing Association for Credit Unions of Canada.   Paul has received two designations through the Credit Union Executive Society; Certified Chief Executive (CCE) and Certified Innovation Executive (CIE). His recent focus has been helping credit unions with branch and head office design, strategic-planning, brand development, innovation, process improvement, sales and service leadership, and marketing.

Woman with shoulder length brown hair smiling

Trina Tucker

Creative Director, NATIONAL Public Relations

Trina has nearly twenty years of experience designing and art directing advertising campaigns, building brand identities, and engaging audiences through a variety of digital and ambient executions. Trina is what some people in the business call an Idea Factory. As Creative Director at NATIONAL Atlantic, she has a gift for looking at a brief and seeing countless creative possibilities almost immediately. Thoughtful and meticulous, her ability to make lateral creative leaps constantly results in surprising ideas, then crafted flawlessly.

Trina has received many accolades for her work and has been featured in industry publications. She’s a big thinker and treats every project as a fresh opportunity to create a unique, creative response.