News releases

Toronto, Ont. – Canada Post has announced the judging panel for the 2013 Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards, which includes homegrown thought leaders, prominent entrepreneurs and industry experts.

The judges are Rafe Petkovic, Google Canada Head of Industry (Retail); Josh Bloom, Facebook Canada Director of Global Marketing Solutions and Retail Vertical Lead; Stéphane Ricoul, Sid Lee Technologies Director of Client Relations, eBusiness, and eComMTL Founding President; Duncan Payne, Hut2Hut Events President and DX3 Co-Founder; and Siobhan Vinish, Postmedia Network Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Audience Development.

“As the Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards aim to recognize Canada’s leading online retailers and develop the e-commerce industry as a whole, our judges were chosen for their experience in the e-commerce market and in those industries that support it,” says René Desmarais, Senior Vice-President, Parcels, at Canada Post.

The expert panel will determine the finalists from this year’s pool of applicants and ultimately decide the winners who will share in $1 million worth of total prizes to be given away at the gala event in Toronto on September 25.

Rafe Petkovic
As Head of Industry (Retail) for Google Canada, Mr. Petkovic leads the sales teams that guide customer online/omni-channel strategy development and implementation, helping them drive more customers to their stores, and, in the process, positively redefining the Canadian retail industry. Before joining Google Canada, Mr. Petkovic developed and implemented Google Australia’s mid-market acquisition strategy, working with Australia and New Zealand's most dynamic retailers. Most recently, he performed this role with Australia's largest publicly listed retailers. Formerly, Mr. Petkovic worked in sales and change management in the pharmaceutical industry.

Josh Bloom
As Director of Global Marketing Solutions and Retail Vertical Lead at Facebook Canada, Mr. Bloom brings 15 years of experience in the digital media industry to task. His career began in 1998, when he joined the DoubleClick media team in New York. Following positions at prominent digital media companies including Conducive Media, Mr. Bloom landed at MySpace.com where he spent more than two years pioneering the digital sales efforts in both Detroit and Toronto. He joined Facebook Canada in March 2008, launching the company’s direct sales efforts in Canada. Mr. Bloom is widely known as a veteran social media and digital marketing consultant.

Stéphane Ricoul
Mr. Ricoul is the Director of Client Relations, eBusiness, at Sid Lee Technologies, which handles the e-commerce accounts of major companies including Rona, the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec), and Cirque du Soleil. In his role, Mr. Ricoul is responsible for developing promising e-commerce projects into successful and innovative strategies. Mr. Ricoul is also Co-Founder and President of eComMTL, a popular industry event attended by key e-commerce players to discuss, share and drive online retail strategies and best practices. The event is considered an invaluable resource to the e-commerce community in the city and beyond.

Duncan Payne
As Co-Founder of Hut2Hut Events, Mr. Payne launched Dx3 Canada in 2012 and helped it grow into Canada’s largest technology event for digital marketing and retail. On a daily basis, Mr. Payne interacts with leading executives from Canada’s advertising, retailing and technology communities, giving him a unique understanding of the challenges faced by Canadian companies in the digital space. Formerly, Mr. Payne was Executive Vice-President of Business Development Worldwide at dmg world media. His knowledge and expertise across a number of diverse industries, from oil and gas to the retail and food industries, have helped Mr. Payne bring fresh ideas and innovation to new projects, culminating in Dx3.

Siobhan Vinish
Siobhan Vinish is Senior Vice-President Marketing and Audience Development at Postmedia Network – one of Canada’s largest media companies. Ms. Vinish oversees marketing strategies for all of Postmedia’s brands, which engage millions of Canadians every week across its print, online and mobile properties. Ms. Vinish joined the organization in 2005 in the role of Vice-President of Marketing at the Calgary Herald and previously held senior communications and marketing roles at WestJet Airlines and the Alberta Securities Commission.

The Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards are intended to recognize and accelerate e-commerce excellence in the country. Canadian retailers that sell and ship to Canadian customers through the online channel are invited to compete and share $1 million worth in total prizes. Winners in various categories will receive lucrative shipping contracts valued up to $100,000, customized direct mail marketing packages – which include data and targeting solutions – as well as valuable real estate marketing prizes. For more information on the Awards, visit canadapost.ca/ecommerceawards.