These industry leaders are pushing the boundaries of what's possible when it comes to getting your story out.
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Meet the leaders of Cision's Canadian management team who are all using their dynamic backgrounds toward developing bigger and better ways for PR professionals and journalists to connect.
Phil Crompton
General Manager, Cision Canada
Senior Vice President, Broadcast Monitoring North America
Phil joined Cision, in 1983 as the Assistant Manager in the Toronto Broadcast Department. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Canada-wide monitoring network that currently consists of more than 100 markets - the largest in the country. He was promoted to Sales & Marketing Manager in 1988 and added the role of National Manager, Broadcast Division in 1997. Phil was appointed VP, Broadcast Monitoring in 1999, promoted to SVP Broadcast NA in 2008 and GM Cision Canada in 2009.
Phil is involved in business development and strategy for Broadcast NA and all of Cision Canada.
Ernie de Wal
Vice President, Sales and Product Development
Vice President, IT
Ernie de Wal is responsible for conceptualizing and developing value-added products in conjunction with partners and clients. His areas of responsibility include all aspects of IT, and MediaSource Research, Contact and Evaluation.
Ernie joined Cision in 1984, and has over 20 years experience in the technology and communications industries, specializing in corporate strategy, public relations, product development, web-based software and management, large database projects and fulfillment services.
He was designated a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers, (McMaster University/University of Windsor) while pursuing a BComm.
Karim Farag
Vice President, Finance and Human Resources
Karim Farag joined Cision as VP of Finance in 1990, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in the financial field. In this role he is responsible for directing all of Cision Canada’s financial reporting and audits, maintains the company’s internal financial control systems and oversees the day-to-day functions of the Human Resources and Administration departments.
Prior to joining Cision, Karim held positions in financial management and human resources at George Brown College and media giant MacLean Hunter Limited. He contributes his extensive knowledge of the publishing, broadcast, cable and printing industries towards the operational direction of Cision Canada. Karim holds a BA in Economics from the University of Toronto and Pre Professional CMA Program.
Caroline Grégoire
Vice President, Operations, Cision Québec
Having joined Cision in 2004 as Vice President, Operations, Caroline manages the operations and production teams for Cision Québec’s offices. She is also involved in the development and integration of new technologies.
Caroline started out in the media monitoring industry in 1997. She joined Cision from Medianor where she was Vice President, and prior to that, held the positions of Office Director of Québec and Director of Customer Service and New Business Development.
Caroline studied Communications and Public Relations at Laval University. In addition, she has several years experience in customer service and new business development.
Gary LaRose
Vice President, Print Monitoring
Gary LaRose leads the management of Cision's print monitoring services throughout Canada and has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the computer-assisted print monitoring system. He continues to play a key role in developing advanced print service offerings that meet the needs of a changing market where technology plays an increasingly important role.
Gary has close to 20 years experience in the media monitoring industry. He joined Cision in 1993 as the manager of Ottawa’s print monitoring division where he improved processes to help meet the specific needs of the Federal Government and the Ottawa market.
Gary holds an MBA from Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has completed Master Class level studies in Risk Management through Project Management Institute (PMI). He also has a Masters Certificate in Project Management and Certificate Six Sigma Black Belt from Schulich School of Business, York University.
Rick Loehrke
Vice President, Client and Professional Services
Responsible for post-sale client relationships, Rick Loehrke oversees all service, support and training efforts for Cision North America. His teams ensure that clients throughout Canada and the U.S. obtain optimal value from Cision’s products and services.
Since joining Cision U.S. in 2001 as VP of Clipping Bureau Customer Service, the scope of Rick’s responsibilities has increasingly evolved and expanded. He has played a role in the development of many Cision offerings such as evaluation services, digital media monitoring and international monitoring. Most recently, Rick’s efforts have been concentrated on re-engineering the Client & Professional Services organization and refocusing Cision’s culture on the needs and expectations of clients.
Rick majored in journalism at the University of Kansas and began his career with a small communications consultancy. Since then, he has spent nearly 20 years in key marketing and client service roles for several major corporations, including RR Donnelley and Automatic Data Processing.
Contact us today to learn more about Cision's management team, and our global public relations software and media tools.