Please feel free to contact us for more information about how to get involved in SEMPO Canada by visiting the SEMPO Canada Contact us page. Thanks!

Ken Jurina
President, Epiar.com
President, Topdraw.com
Co-Chair, Sempo Canada

As President of two leading edge technology companies, Ken continues to make his mark on the new media industry. In 1993, he founded Top Draw which has become a leading firm in advertising, graphic design, and web development in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Combining his marketing background with a technology offering, Ken co-founded Epiar with Bob Vaasjo. Together they developed proprietary SEO tools that pioneered techniques merging web development technology with online marketing strategies to drive qualified traffic and sales.

As President of Epiar, Ken oversees the company’s growth and helps drive the marketing strategies and creative tactics that are delivering better lead generation and client retention for Epiar clients. In addition to leading the Epiar team, Ken’s role at Epiar comprises senior-level client counsel, strategic marketing, and creative direction.

Ken sits on the Global Committee and is Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee for the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), which establishes and promotes ethical SEO practices and guidelines. Ken is also Co-Chair of the Canadian Working Group of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization in Canada (Sempo.ca). On top of this, Ken plays key organizational roles for various noteworthy causes, including the Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) Golf Classic and the Forest Industry Suppliers & Loggers Association (FISLA). His dynamic communication skills and industry knowledge are also in demand as a lecturer and facilitator at national and international seminars and conferences, focusing on visual communications and search engine optimization & marketing.

Alexandre Brabant, BComm
President, eMarketing101.ca
Co-Chair, Sempo Canada

Alexandre Brabant is the president of eMarketing 101, a leading Search Marketing consultant to the travel and tourism industry in Canada. Prior to founding eMarketing 101, Alex worked as a eBusiness Marketing Manager with Intrawest (Resort Reservations Network) where he managed Vancouver.com, WhistlerBlackcomb.com and 40 others leading, destination-focused travel website Search Marketing plans. He also worked as a Search Marketing Specialist for Teligence Communications and as a Director Search Marketing for Cossette Media in Vancouver (BC).

Alex continues to be a Canadian leader in Search Engine Marketing innovation as his work with clients such as Whistler.com, Luxuryvacation.bc.ca and Landsea tours demonstrates. Alex is also Co-Chair of the SEMPO Canada Working Group of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization Canada (Sempo.ca) and continues his leadership role into building the Search Marketing industry wherever it is needed.

Gord Hotchkiss
President, Enquiro.com
Chairperson, Sempo
Co-Chair, Sempo Research Committee

Gord Hotchkiss is President and CEO of Enquiro, Canada’s leading search engine marketing firm and one of the top firms in North America. His articles are regularly published in both on and off line newsletters, including Marketing Monitor, SEOToday, Marketing and many other trade journals. Enquiro’s own information portal is www.searchengineposition.com. He is a scheduled speaker at the Frost and Sullivan Executive Summits.

Gord started as an award winning advertising copywriter and ran his own small agency in Western Canada for 10 years. In 1996 he began working to increase the visibility of his client’s sites on search engines and specialized in search engine marketing in 1999, with the formation of Searchengineposition.com, which recently became Enquiro. Enquiro offers leading organic optimization expertise and paid search management. Their own Traffic ROI analytics program provides real time return analysis on both paid and organic search. Enquiro has it’s own development and research departments giving them a strong technical background in the workings of the major search engines.

Marc Poirier
Co-Founder & CMO, Acquisio.com

Acquisio SEARCH is a PPC management platform designed specifically for agencies who manage pay-per-click accounts for multiple clients. It allows campaign managers to automate month-end reporting with the industry’s most sophisticated white label reporting engine. The platform also shines when it comes to daily management tasks – thanks to the world’s first and only multi-engine bulk editor. Think AdWords Editor, but for Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter. We know automation is critical – that’s why Acquisio is the only platform that allows you to define very sophisticated and granular business rules to automatically or semi-automatically manage bids, change status, delete items, or set alerts on anything at all. Last but not least, Acquisio optimizes existing campaigns with a proprietary algorithm that quickly identifies those keywords which prevent optimal campaign performance. With Acquisio, account managers can now create reports, optimize, and manage all their client accounts on Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter from just one log in.

Darcy Foster
President, VKIStudios.com

As the president and co-founder of VKI Studios, Darcy Foster has over eight years of search marketing experience. He has successfully helped clients grow their online businesses from the early days of AltaVista through to present, where he currently oversees multiple teams responsible for organic SEO, paid search, usability and web analytics.

Though search will always remain important, Darcy sees the years ahead being forged by the desire to enhance usability, harness the power of web analytics and combine them to deliver the very best in user experience. He strongly believes that analytics and usability should help define a successful search strategy. It is this desire that has inspired Darcy to work hard to change VKI Studios from a pure SEO company into an ROI obsessed company focused on more than just generating new visitors.

By actively participating in organizations like SEMPO Canada, The Usability Professionals’ Association and the Web Analytics Association, we ensure that VKI Studios stays abreast of new techniques and technologies. In fact, part of the reason we want to join SEMPO Canada is to make certain that Canadian corporations are aware of and can take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that search can provide to businesses online� Quote by Darcy Foster.

Adam Muscott
Director, Interactive Acquisitions – Bell Canada, Web Solutions

Possessing nine years of experience in the field of interactive marketing, Adam Muscott is a senior strategist with a proven expertise in search engine marketing, eMedia planning, email marketing and viral marketing campaigns.

As Director of Interactive Acquisitions at Bell Web Solutions, Adam manages a team of resources dedicated to three different units: search marketing, eMedia, and web-based partnership development. In this role, he also upholds strong relations with partner firms and suppliers in order to deliver projects that meet client objectives and expectations.

In his previous role as Senior Strategic Planner of search marketing and eMedia, Adam was responsible for the strategic development and supervision of many important campaigns for such prestigious clients as Sears Canada, Sears Travel, La Senza and Mega Bloks. Prior to joining Bell Canada, he managed campaigns for Procter & Gamble, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commmerce (CIBC), Danier Leather, and AC Nielson.

Adam holds an MBA from McGill University and a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, with a specialization in Marketing, Finance, and Strategic Management.

Joseph Machalani
Search Consultant, Interactive Acquisitions – Bell Canada, Web Solutions

Possessing over eight years of experience in the field of interactive marketing, Joseph Machalani is a senior strategist with a proven expertise in search engine marketing, eMedia planning, e-mail marketing, affiliate programs, and website usability analysis.

As a Search Consultant at Bell Web Solutions, Joseph is in involved in the execution of plans and strategies for search engine optimization and paid listing campaigns. Moreover, Joseph is involved in site analysis associated with client campaigns. Joseph currently works on the Sears Travel, Netclub and Bell Canada paid listing mandates.

Joseph holds an AEC Degree from Herzing College in Computer Programming and Analysis.

Shannon Yelland
Online Marketing Manager – Sitemasher Corporation

Shannon is currently the Online Marketing Manager for Sitemasher Corporation (www.sitemasher.com). She is responsible for Sitemasher’s in-house marketing efforts including SEM and SEO. She has recently been accredited as a Google Adwords Professional and also shares her knowledge with online marketing in her “Seed The Web” blog (www.seedtheweb.com). Search Engine Optimization and Analytics has always been on the forefront of Shannon’s investment of time. She attends various conferences and seminars in North America throughout the year to keep up with the trends, strategies and best practices of online marketing.

Successful projects within Shannon’s portfolio cover such initiatives: Website marketing consultations/strategy and implementation, E-mail marketing consultations, management and implementation, Online store design (B-to-C) and management, Social Media and custom weblogs for traffic generation and conversion of online sales, Pay per click strategies and implementation, Search engine optimization and advanced web analytics

Before Sitemasher, during her involvement with the Internet, she developed her own business – Mystic Marketing and has built the company utilizing her diverse portfolio of expertise in online marketing, web development, multi-media, e-mail marketing and branding. Shannon worked with clients from the concept through to the implementation stage of their online marketing strategies to increase their sales and revenues.

Shannon also worked as a Marketing Specialist at Fusepoint Managed Services, she successfully lead the company’s national re-branding project and coordinated all internal and external communications to achieve the company national market share growth. Shannon’s ability to understand Internet technologies in great depth brings tremendous value to any marketing team.