Melissa has more than a decade of experience serving as a strategic communications leader in high-profile positions across the most senior ranks of the federal government, political campaigns across Canada and in the private sector. With a diverse background spanning finance, trade, foreign affairs and the environment, Melissa has a proven track record developing successful public affairs and communications engagement campaigns as well as effective issues-management strategies. A seasoned communicator, Melissa brings focused experience in problem solving and strategy development for public affairs and stakeholder engagement campaigns as well as reputation, issues management and crisis communications.
Prior to joining H+K, Melissa was head of Premier Doug Ford’s 2018 Campaign War Room and served as chief spokesperson for the campaign. Prior to that she served as Caroline Mulroney’s leadership campaign director. Melissa also held senior roles in the 2008, 2011 and 2015 federal Conservative Party of Canada campaign war rooms. From 2007 to 2015, Melissa served as director of communications for Canada’s ministers of finance, foreign affairs, trade and environment. She provided strategic communications advice, speechwriting and media relations support to ministers in intense and highly scrutinized media environments. Melissa also brings private sector experience in financial communications having worked as a senior director at CIBC World Markets. She has provided media training, debate prep and speech coaching to both political leaders and C-suite executives, and is a frequent media commentator on the topic of Canadian politics.
Melissa graduated (summa cum laude) from the University of Toronto and went on to graduate studies at Ottawa University. She is active in community service as a volunteer, board member and mentor with several organizations, serving on the board of directors for the Canadian Jewish Public Affairs Committee (CJPAC) and the Canadian Council of Jewish Affairs (CIJA) in Toronto. Melissa is a mentor with Women in Politics (WIP) and is active in fundraising and raising awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. She is fluent in English, French and Russian.
