Welcome to PM Forum Canada

Professional services in fields such as accounting, architecture, consulting, engineering and law don't sell themselves. Marketing such services is a highly specialized skill.

PM Forum Canada helps professional firms raise their abilities to market themselves.

PM Forum is dedicated to raising the standards of professional services marketing and enhancing the credibility of marketers working in professional service firms.

We offer educational programs, networking opportunities and a chance to learn from other firms' experience in this challenging field. Through their involvement, marketers at all levels, partners and fee-earners can gain leading edge ideas, benchmark their efforts, and become more effective and stronger in what they do.

Soon to be across Canada with regional chapters

PM Forum Canada currently offers events in the country's financial capital of Toronto, but has plans to expand soon into chapters in other cities across the country.

Although the Greater Toronto Area ("GTA") chapter was only established in the Fall of 2005, it has a history dating back to the 1980s, when a group of marketers in professional services started meeting to help develop skills through discussions and presentations from experts in the field. In 2004/2005, the group's members voted to merge with the larger international PM Forum, becoming the association's GTA chapter.

PM Forum's National Director and the GTA Committee, will spearhead the expansion of chapters initially planned for Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax.

The membership base

The membership base is diverse. It includes all types of professional firms - accounting, architecture, consulting, design, engineering and law, and consultants and suppliers to the sector. The individuals attracted to PM Forum events are likewise diverse - chief marketing officers, marketing directors, marketing managers and coordinators, and fee-earning professionals with an interest or remit in, marketing and business development.

The learning and networking experience

PM Forum Canada plans to offer three main types of member networking and learning experiences:


Breakfast, lunch or early evening events

Each month from September to November and from February to May, we hold a breakfast, lunch or later afternoon/early evening event. All events are held centrally in downtown Toronto. A member professional firm hosts each event.

Apart from being networking events affording the opportunity to meet others in professional firms and specialists within the field, the events are learning experiences - helping the member excel in their work in order to meet their firm's needs.

Because the event topics vary, marketers and fee-earners from different levels attend those events that are most appropriate to their needs. The topics are based on member feedback and committee involvement. Member input is encouraged .

The event sessions take the form of either a guest presenter (with time for Q&A) or a panel comprising experts or leaders in the field, with time for interaction and Q&A. We strive to make the sessions informative yet informal.

PM Forum is a membership organization. Therefore, only individuals of firms that are corporate members are eligible to attend events and benefit from our Monthly Magazine (called Professional Marketing North America), the On-Line Article Bank, and the Job Bank (see member benefits below). However, those interested in joining are able to attend one event as a guest in order to gain "a feel" of the association and observe the benefits firsthand. If you would like to attend one of the events as a guest, please contact either the Committee Chair, National Director or Regional PR Director - contact details are provided below.

Details of the currently planned monthly events and booking form can be found below.

Managing Partners' Forum:

The Managing Partners Forum (www.MPFglobal.com) is a "sister organization" of PM Forum. Managing Partners face unique demands in their work. They need to provide leadership and expertise, but often have nobody in their organizations with whom they can share and learn. The Managing Partners' Forum will provide senior-level collegiality, in which leaders of firms share their insights and learn.

The Managing Partners' Forum organizes public campaigns and awards to publicize your contribution to the business.

For further information on the Managing Partners' Forum contact: Larry Stroud, President, Promarc Consulting, at 416 604 2990 Ext 111 or at Larry.Stroud@promarcgroup.com

Member benefits
  • Because membership is a "national corporate membership", there is no limit on the number of employees across Canada that can sign up as "additional members".
  • A membership fee that is based on the size of your firm - e.g. for as little as $300 annually for a firm of less than 100 headcount.
  • Free copies of Professional Marketing Magazine ("pm") - the only regular publication dedicated to marketing and business development for professional firms. pm magazine is only available to members of PM Forum.
  • Access to a topic searchable bank of over 2500 articles previously published in pm magazine.
  • Regular e-Newsletter with Forum news.
  • Free posting of your marketing vacancies on the Forum's on-line Job Bank - which is accessed by over 1000 marketers each week.
  • Access to all GTA events for a reasonable attendance fee (which in most cases includes food and beverages).
  • Branches of PM Forum in the UK, USA and Europe.
  • Access to other national or international events. For example, there were over 100 member events held in the USA and Europe last year alone.
  • Access to the annual member-only conference in London each year.

Become a member of PM Forum Canada today!

Download the membership application form

First-year membership is on a sliding scale - you pay from the month you join.

If you have any questions about membership, please feel free to contact PM Forum Canada's National Director, Larry Stroud on 416 604 2990 ext. 111 or at Larry.Stroud@promarcgroup.com

Larry Stroud
Promarc Consulting Group Inc.
Suite 400
30 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON
M4V 3A1

The Committee

The Committee is comprised of experienced marketers of professional services:

National Director: Larry Stroud, President, Promarc Consulting
Tel: 416 604 2990 ext. 111

Joint Chairs: Suzanne Godbehere, Director, Industry Marketing - PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Tel: 416 869 2313 and Tracy Holotuk, Director of Marketing for Enterprise, KPMG
Tel: 416 777 1714

Tara Berze, Marketing Manager - National Clients & Markets, Deloitte & Touche LLP
Tel: 416 874 3426

John Clifford, Partner, McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP
Tel: 416 865 7134

Lindsay Everitt, Manager, Marketing, Goodmans LLP
Tel: 416 597 4174

Kavitha Karnaker, Vice President, Marketing, Blackmont Capital Inc.
Tel: 416 864 3566

Marla McAlpine, MBA, Director of Marketing, Aird & Berlis LLP
Tel: 416 865 7781

Nicole Miles, PCS Marketing Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Tel: 416 218 1464

Caitriona O’Riordan, Manager, Marketing Department, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
Tel: 416 863 4782

Maj-Lis Vettoretti, Partner, Shimmerman Penn LLP,
Tel: 416 964 7200

Please Note - Put These Dates In Your Diary

Events run monthly from January to May and then September to November.

The new season of events commences in September 2007. The dates and times in Toronto are:

  • May 13, 2008 – 12.00 noon – Lunch with guest speaker
  • Sept 16, 2008 - 12.00 noon - Lunch with guest speaker
  • October 21, 2008 - 12.00 noon - Lunch with guest speaker
  • November 18, 2008 - 12.00 noon - Lunch with guest speaker
Details of our next event:

Coming soon...

If you would like to receive regular invites to events, please register online.