Contact Us
Meet the CMC-Canada National Office Staff. Click each image to see bio.
Mary Blair
Managing Director
416-860-1515 x207 | mblair@cmc-canada.ca
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Joined CMC-Canada: July 2007
Regional Service Lead: CMC-Atlantic Canada; l’ordre des administrateurs agrees du Québec; CMC-Ontario Council
Main Responsibilities: Responsible for the overall day-to-day National Office operations; all aspects of human resources management, specifically for all direct reports, and others such as contractors and volunteers, as authorized by the Board; recommending and developing policies; all aspects of the office’s physical requirements; overseeing marketing, communications, membership, certification, member benefits, and affinity programs, website, internal systems and processes, volunteers, professional development, legal and statutory, media relations; initiate and/or co-ordinate specific projects; financial reporting to the Board; support to the Board; continuous quality improvement.
At a Glance:
With the CEO, creation/implementation of national Business Plan and Budget
National Office
National Board
Systems and technology
Financial management
Background: After leaving the University of Toronto, I took some time to travel, working as a chambermaid in Ballybunion, Ireland, then guiding high school tours of Ireland and France. Neither of these paid particularly well, so I took the first job offered when I got back to Toronto; cleaning fish tanks at PJ’s Pet Centres, a national chain. Before I knew it, I was assistant to the owner and an officer of the company, managing 125+ staff in seven retail stores in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, buying everything from puppies to guppies, and spider monkeys to tarantulas. Through my interest in all things Apple, I became a partner in a graphic design company and one of our clients was president of a professional association: Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI). Helping her start up the organization as a part-time sideline developed into a full-time position, eventually as Director, Membership and Administration for CIRI. I found I enjoyed the variety of working for an association and decided that I wanted to become a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in order to move forward in the field. The 48-hour written exam was a little daunting, I confess, but looking back, it was also a great experience. Even before I knew whether I’d passed, in a lateral move after 14 years at CIRI, I successfully applied for a similar position at CMC-Canada in 2007, and nine months later, was offered the Managing Director role when the CEO retired.
Passionate: Hull City AFC, travel in the UK, my iPad, summer BBQs in the backyard, ancestry.ca
Andrea Vandenberg
Manager, Marketing and Communications
416-860-1515 x205 | avandenberg@cmc-canada.ca
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky
Joined CMC-Canada: November 2009
Regional Service Lead: CMC-Ontario-Eastern Ontario Chapter
Main Responsibilities: Responsible for advancing the communications objectives of CMC-Canada and all marketing related to member recruitment and retention. Develops and implements strategies designed to raise the profile of the CMC designation among association members, potential members, and other stakeholders, with an emphasis on membership development.
At a Glance:
Creation/implementation of national Marketing and Communications plan
Electronic and print communications including collateral materials and publications
Website content
National Advocacy Committee
Media relations
Background: After graduating with a B.A. (Honors) in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario I took some time to travel throughout Europe and parts of Asia. During this time, I lived and worked for extended periods in The Hague, Paris, and Tokyo. All three were amazing experiences full of friendship, culture, food, and history. Alas, reality (and student loans) set in, and I returned to Canada and completed a post-grad certificate in Corporate Communications at Seneca College. This led to a career in public relations, first at CHUM Limited, then in several boutique PR agencies. My foray into the world of associations came with a position in marketing at the Treasury Management Association of Canada (TMAC), which helped prepare me for my current role at the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC-Canada).
Passionate: Sports, organizing, being positive, anything on The Food Network
Glenn Yonemitsu
Chief Executive Officer
416-860-1515 x201 | gyonemitsu@cmc-canada.ca
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” ~ Mark Twain
Joined CMC-Canada: 1994 as a member; 1997 as a CMC; 2009 as CEO
Main Responsibilities: Overall responsibility and accountability for the Canadian Association of Management Consultants
Background: After working in Corporate Banking for a major Canadian Bank and surviving the recession in the early 1990’s, a colleague and I were disappointed at how senior lenders, receivers, trustees, and lawyers dealt with companies in trouble. Leveraging our knowledge of how banks think and make decisions, we established our consultancy, focused on turnaround management. We were fortunate to experience success and never lost a client in trouble.
With the strengthening economy, we turned our focus to high-growth companies. We helped to provide counsel to firms who were dissatisfied with inflationary growth. We helped to develop strategy and then worked side-by-side with the leadership teams to execute on their plan. We were successful in leading a number of industry roll-ups, creating significant shareholder value.
Even during my MBA, I knew that I would become a management consultant. After establishing my practice, I joined CMC-Canada and earned my CMC in 1997.
I joined my alma mater, the Richard Ivey School of Business, as a change agent, as they were privatizing. I served as a key member of the leadership team who globalized the School and crafted the strategy – we were rewarded by being recognized by the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times as one of the world’s leading business schools.
Knowing the personal satisfaction that I derived by working with clients, I always ensured that I had the flexibility to maintain my consulting practice. NEXT Strategic Advisors remains focused on mid-market clients, who have the courage to pursue a high growth strategy.
I am proud of my certification and my long-standing involvement with the Canadian Association of Management Consultants. In 2009, when CMC-Canada’s Board was searching for new leadership, I felt it was my responsibility to step up and help build my Association.
Passionate: Finding balance in life, though I do seem to fail at this regularly. But, when I am able to balance, I enjoy family, golf, hockey, running and maintaining a sense of humour.
