Our new marketing communications manager, Valerie Jolivet, has 13 years of experience in public relations. She knows the marketing of consumer product brands and the organization of major events inside and out… Creative, organized and passionate, Valerie brings tons of ideas, a joie de vivre and a lot of energy. In short, she can move mountains! To learn more about our new colleague, read her bio as well as her popular personal blog (in French).

We also had the pleasure to welcome Karine Sauvé, as director, corporate communications. For 10 years, Karen worked in the House of Commons in Ottawa for the Bloc Quebecois. After starting as research assistant, she served for eight years as Gilles Duceppe’s Press Attaché and Media Relations Manager of the parliamentary wing. After so many years of juggling multiple files with such intensity, Karine knows strategic communication and crisis management. An outstanding advisor, Karine impresses through her insight, reliability and commitment. Her career path will certainly interest you.

Set in a Manhattan loft apartment, the launch event offered media and influencers the opportunity to touch, feel and experience the Tommee Tippee range of style-driven products. Our host, Tracy Giovanoni, Head of North American Marketing for Tommee Tippee, welcomed us and led the Canadians on an interactive tour of each room in the apartment and demonstrate how the brand fits into the lives of a busy family with an infant and toddler.  We received a sneak preview of a very exciting digital storybook, ‘The Day Baby Was Born’, which will launch in Canada next spring (Stay tuned!).   By all accounts, the day was a wonderful learning opportunity for our media, and a lot of fun too! A big thank you to Reeva Waksberg and Martine Venne for leading media strategy and coordinating the event logistics.

Loukia Zigoumis (@mrsloulou) shares her expertise on Tommee Tippee products on CTV’s Ottawa Morning.

To join the conversation with other Tommee Mommies and Daddies, please visit Facebook Twitter and YouTube. Loved by parents and children alike, Tommee Tippee has received numerous brand accolades in Great Britain, including top ranks in the prestigious Mother and Baby Awards, a head-to-head assessment of competitive products voted on by moms themselves. The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature line of baby bottles has been chosen as Great Britain’s best baby bottle, winning the Gold award in 2006/7, in 2008/9 and again in 2009/10. In 2009, Tommee Tippee was the first and only children’s feeding brand to be selected as a UK Superbrand in a nationwide poll of consumers, putting it on par with brands such as Microsoft®, Coca-Cola®, Nike®, Lego® and Google®.

In this photo, Ali Martell from Canadian Family and Loukia Zigoumis (@mrsloulou) from the yummymummyclub.ca take the ‘sippy cup challenge’ to learn about Tommee Tippee’s spill-proof and leak-proof cups! (If you want to try this out, let us know!)

On Saturday October 15th, our client, L’Association des ingénieurs-conseils du Québec(AICQ) presented the first edition of the open house on engineering, where 17 innovative projects were visited in the company of engineers in Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières and Saguenay.

The event, proposed and coordinated by CASACOM, has enabled more than 5,000 curious and passionate about science and engineering to discover large-scale projects in a new light. In addition, some visitors had the opportunity to meet with the actor Stéphane Bellavance, spokesperson of the day.

To contribute to the success of the day, several elements were essential. A web page containing the details of the event and a Facebook page were created for the occasion. Media Relations in the four cities and a large advertising campaign (television, radio and flyers distributed to schools and key associations) have also been implemented. Meetings and follow-up with all the consulting engineering firms participating were also coordinated by CASACOM for all the details surrounding the logistics and promotion of the event.

Carolyn rounds out the CASACOM team wonderfully. For more than 20 years, she has worked as a consultant in top level communications. During her diverse career, she has advised both B2B and B2C organizations, and is recognized as an expert in aligning external and internal communications.

Carolyn possesses unique credentials, having practiced public relations, marketing and branding. From her time at Interbrand, she is a passionate defender of brands and understands what drives their value. In addition, she has a profound understanding of how vital internal communications is to business success; she understands how to help leaders and managers authentically engage employees during times of organizational change. She also believes in the power of face-to-face dialogue – perhaps that’s why her twitter name is @dialoguedivaray!

Beyond her solid experience and business-savvy, Carolyn is constantly encouraging the people around her to strive for insights, challenge conventional thinking, and continue to be highly discerning. She is enthusiastic, committed to the best possible outcomes and deeply engaged to her clients and team. And although we, as Montrealers, pride ourselves on our joie de vivre, I can tell you that Carolyn’s energy and humour is absolutely contagious.  From playing on the Unionville soccer team, to teaching new PR approaches at Ryerson, to being actively involved on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, she is very passionate about giving back to her community.

We are truly happy to welcome her to our team. Our office on College Street in Toronto is in a wonderful neighbourhood filled with unique restaurants and cafes, so if you’re looking for a fresh perspective, please stop by for some Italian pastries any time!

I believe we created something like that here, in our own special way, because our purpose goes beyond ourselves and givesus the motivation to be at our best, every day.

At CASACOM, we are only satisfied…

… when we help our clients reach their business goals,

… when our teammates grow and develop their best possible selves,

… when, in the organizations we work with, communications is seen as an accelerator of business strategy.

After all those years, as we open our new office in Toronto, I feel a lot of gratitude.

First I feel privileged to have had so many clients that have entrusted us with their most precious projects.  Thank you.

Second, I feel privileged to count on such an incredible group of people here at CASACOM, people who make us strong and relevant. I thank them for their genuine interest in their work, their commitment and passion for our clients.

Third, I feel privileged to be working with such a wonderful Managing Director for our Toronto office, Carolyn Ray. With Carolyn’s passionate leadership in Toronto, we can extend this philosophy, reinforce our unique approach to collaboration and excellence, and truly make a difference in our clients’ businesses.

And of course, none of this would be possible without our amazing friends and family, who are an important part of our community. Without all these people, none of this would be happening. People are, truly, what this all about.

So, as we celebrate 10 years of CASACOM and our new expansion to Toronto, I want to say thank you for helping me achieve my vision, for inspiring me to continue to make a difference every day.  I look forward to the next 10 years.