LINDSEY FAIR, MBA, PhD
Fueled by coffee, driven by innovation.
CMO by day, wine taster, hand quilter, community-builder by night.
From London originally, a Kingstonian at heart, and now proudly rooted in Canada’s Capital Region, I bring a unique blend of economic development, placemaking, brand strategy, communications, and community building to every table I join.
My path has been anything but linear—shaped by a hardworking mom, a pool-shark dad, a decade of theatre school, and 10+ years as a sea cadet. The result? A mash-up of work ethic, grit, creativity, and discipline that defines how I show up, every day.
I’m currently a Vice President (sometimes CMO, often both) working at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, talent, and place. I believe deeply in the public good, and in the role we can all play in shaping an inclusive, successful, and future-forward economy. I thrive in big-picture strategy, brand storytelling, meaningful collaboration, and finding creative ways to turn vision into action—and impact.
I'm a mother to one incredible young man, married to someone who balances me out beautifully, and (hopefully) the kind of daughter, sister, and aunt my family is proud to claim—even if I can be a bit much at times.
Weekends are a toss-up between fresh air and creative flow: skiing, sailing, hiking, or paddling if the mood strikes—or painting with beeswax (encaustic) at my very makeshift art bench if it doesn’t.
Morning coffee powers my pace; a bold Syrah (or more often these days, a well-balanced Old Fashioned) helps slow me down. My CliftonStrengths—Woo, Activator, Significance, Communication, and Achiever—say it all: I connect, create, and make things happen. I’m an I.D. on the DISC, an Orange, and a textbook ENTJ.
For a window into the messy, meaningful mix of work and life, check out my Instagram—equal parts impact, adventure, and creative chaos.
the STRATEGIST
I am known for my creative marketing approach, starting with a resume I printed on the side of a coffee cup, which led to my first marketing job at an international hotel chain (where I won the Tourism Award for southwestern Ontario).
I have led two successful web-based startups (Market Me - a web marketing agency at the dawn of the industry when Ask Jeeves was cool, and 14 Theories - a large technology solutions company with offices in Canada and Nepal). Winning the Young Entrepreneur of the year was my highlight from that time.
After an energizing conversation with a great friend and colleague, Matt Hutcheon, we co-authored a business book called Trucker Management: Driving ANY Small Business to Success. The book offers easy-to-implement routines and provides specific, practical tools to help small business owners "drive" their businesses towards success - nothing to do with Trucking itself. These resources are modelled from the long-established tools and proven practices used by truckers to safely and effectively drive their rigs to their destinations. Our book has taken us to Scotland, Ireland, Turkey, British Columbia, and throughout the US; to give keynote presentations and workshops on small business management.
After volunteering with the local economic development office as a consultant and small business mentor, I led the Entrepreneurship Centre through a difficult transition to becoming the top-performing centre in the province.
I have had the privilege of working with several organizations such as Export Development Canada, Craft Ontario, IBM, ViaRail, the City of Kingston and many others on strategic planning, marketing and communications.
I have a track record of strategic enrolment management success, cutting edge and results-oriented marketing strategies. My teams are pushed hard to succeed - and they do.
The best way to learn more about my work is to find me on Linkedin.
the STUDENT
Always a student. From earning two college diplomas to achieving an MBA in Community Economic Development from Cape Breton University and a PhD in Place Branding from Queen's University, and several certificates along the way, I am truly a believer in life-long learning.
My Master's thesis, An employer's perspective on teaching essential employability skills in higher education, has garnered multiple citations and been showcased at several conferences. During my studies, I explored topics like social capital, innovation, local entrepreneurship, and the intersection of social media with economic development.
I have had the opportunity to be a primary investigator on several government-funded research projects related to digital marketing, social media, and market competitiveness. A summary of "Employee Recruiting 3.0 - breaking down silos" can be found on my slideshare account.
My Ph.D. dissertation on Place Branding (Platform Placemaking Machines) ties together my interest and experiences in urban development and marketing by investigating the impacts of user-generated content on place branding.
the TEACHER
For eighteen+ years, I have taught business strategy, competitive strategy, marketing, digital innovation, and place branding at several post-secondary institutions, including Queen's University, St. Lawrence College, Laurentian University, Loyalist College, Sir Sanford Fleming, Brock University, University of Glasgow, University of Victoria and the Royal Military College.
I thrive on using applied learning strategies in my classrooms and, most notably, getting my students out of the classroom and into the real world as much as possible. One great example of this was the daring adventure of taking several students to New York City every year to participate in an exclusive MarCom Conference called PivotCon. Here's a snippet from Andrew Grill from one of those trips.
The best way to get to know me as a teacher is to check out some of my slides on slideshare or see my recommendations on Linkedin.
Fun Fact: I used to have a radio show on an amazing little local radio station on Amherst Island - CJAI. The show was 60% music, 40% talk - Ads, Fads and Rock and Roll.
It was the perfect outlet of strategy, silliness, technology, and creativity. One day I may just find another cool station to join, but for now, here are some archives for your listening pleasure.
