Media in Canada and strategy have selected the nominees in the running for the 2025 Media Leader of the Year, shining a spotlight on the very best in the Canadian media agency landscape.

This year’s shortlist includes (in alphabetical order) OMD Canada CEO Cathy Collier, Initiative Canada CEO Helen Galanis, OMG Montreal CEO Samantha Kelley and UM Canada CEO Ben Seaton.

The award celebrates top-tier performance and innovation – from launching new services and unlocking business growth, to landing major client wins and developing cutting-edge data and tech tools. Nominees on the shortlist were also recognized for leading professional development programs, advancing DEI initiatives or helping their agencies evolve with new roles and capabilities.

The Media Leader of the Year winner will be honoured during the 2025 Media Innovation Awards (MIAs) on Nov. 26 at the Carlu in Toronto. For information about the awards program, show and tickets, visit the MIAs website.

Here is a closer look at this year’s shortlist:

Cathy Collier, CEO, OMD Canada

As CEO of OMD Canada, Cathy Collier has led her agency to achieve numbers that speak for themselves. She has helped position OMD as the country’s largest agency by billings – $1.56 billion, with 12% annual growth.

Collier also secured major wins for OMD, including Holt Renfrew, Arc’teryx and Gap, while expanding mandates with Clorox and Leon’s.

Collier’s impact includes elevating OMD Canada as the lead in retail media innovation globally within the network, championing integration of Omnicom’s Flywheel expertise.

For DEI, her initiatives include the Black Student Summer Leadership Sponsorship and the #RealTalk Conversation Series, alongside active mentorship of women leaders. The results? Fifty percent women on the leadership team (vs. 34.7% Canadian average) plus 62% of employees identify as women and 47% identify as people of colour (nearly double national benchmarks).

Helen Galanis, CEO, Initiative Canada

As CEO of Initiative Canada for nine years, Helen Galanis has led seven client wins and $88 million in new assignments over the past year, demonstrating both strategic foresight and execution excellence.

Thanks to her efforts, and the leadership of her team, Galanis has also guided Initiative to being ranked 14th globally by WARC, climbing 15 spots. She has also positioned Initiative as Canada’s creative media leader, a strategy Agency of the Year winner three times in five years.

As part of Initiative’s culture and talent development, Galanis introduced Career Velocity, an accelerated career growth track for junior staff, and refined Success Paths, a development framework with more than 2,000 mapped courses.

Galanis’s purpose and DEI leadership includes founding Canada’s first Inclusive Media unit, which creates intentional investment pathways, conducts BIPOC media relevance studies and ensures inclusive programmatic marketplaces.

Samantha Kelley, CEO, Touché! Canada and OMG Montreal

Samantha Kelley has risen from strategist to CEO of Touché! Canada and OMG Montreal.

Kelley has transformed the agency’s culture by introducing “Transformation Days,” expanding its Omni platform capabilities by 10x and restructuring Touché! by introducing pivotal roles like chief client officer in Montreal.

Major client wins over the last year include Sobey’s (Quebec), Popeyes Supplements, BMR and Olymel, and the retention of three major clients: McMaster, Transat and SAAQ.

Her industry leadership and advocacy work includes driving the Canadian Media Manifesto and Mouvement Média d’ici, advocating for increased investment in Canadian media to support journalism, cultural diversity and democratic values.

Ben Seaton, CEO, UM Canada

UM Canada CEO Ben Seaton has led the agency to eight major new business wins over the last year totalling more than $150 million in billings.

Seaton has helped elevate UM to be recognized as #1 in RECMA qualitative rankings twice during his tenure. Emphasizing a business advisory mindset, Seaton has also helped secure key new accounts that include Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) and Nespresso, among numerous others.

Internally, Seaton has launched key initiatives for the next generation, including UMentor, which pairs senior and junior talent, and NextGen UM, which provides growth opportunities for younger employees. His industry and community leadership work includes co-launching the Newcomer Speed Mentoring Program (ACCESS Employment) and being a mentor in the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership for immigrant professionals.