Join us for the Advertising Changemakers Series on Friday, March 22nd, 2024 at 3 p.m., at 100 McCaul St., Auditorium, MCA 190.
Andrea Ogunbadejo
British born, Toronto based production executive Andrea is on a mission to elevate and innovate production, by carving out an equal seat at the table by focusing on the how— bringing the creative and strategic approach to life by telling a visual story.
With a film degree background, Andrea worked on independent features, shorts and scripted TV for the BBC, Netflix, Sky, and NBC before making the transition to advertising. Landing at VaynerMedia London, she established and led the agency’s production department and in-house, social-first content studio. She went on to deliver global campaigns and always-on social content for TikTok, 7UP, Shell, UNICEF, Kraft Heinz, and Durex. She made the move to Eleven, where she served as head of production at their New York office for clients like Samsung and Kraken Rum.
Andrea is also a fierce advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as sustainability in the creative space. She has been featured in AdWeek, Campaign, Shoots, AgencySpy, and Shots, and served as the East Coast Campus lead and the US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair for Eleven within the Plus Company network.
She currently serves as VP, Production for Cossette as well as Managing Director for production studio Magic Circle Workshop, aiming to not only craft world-class content, but see results in the work delivered for major brands like the Canadian divisions of McDonald’s, Walmart and Google
Jessica Borges
Jessica describes her career as a global journey of discovery, from India to the Sultanate of Oman, Dubai, and Canada, where she has spent over a decade in the diversity and inclusion space, reaching out to the fastest-growing consumer groups in the country. She brings a wealth of experience in global audience insights, creative strategy, brand development, client management, and an innate ability to inspire creative excitement and inclusiveness in the teams she has worked with.
Through her career journey, Jessica made wonderful friends and connections around the world. Learning from a diverse audience has helped her shape, create and drive strategy and creativity. From Creative Director at McCann and Y&R, to running her own creative shop in Dubai, and from VP Creative at Dyversity, to CCO and CSO at Maple Diversity, and now GVP Business Lead at Visionnaire, Jessica has enjoyed connecting customers to brands like Walmart, J&J, TD, RBC, OLG, BCLC, Bell, Rogers, Unilever, Nestle, Coca-Cola, HSBC, Canada Post, L’Oreal, GM, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
She has been actively involved in several inclusion projects, including the launch of WelcomePack Canada, an initiative to help brands reach out to newcomers; Live Love Canada, a program to engage and educate immigrants on their settlement journey; Diversity Beyond Ethnicity, a program that builds inclusivity among segments like the 2SLGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and Indigenous peoples.
Her work has been recognized at local and international advertising award shows, including at the Montblanc/Emirates Woman Novella Writing Awards in Dubai.
Jessica has been invited to speak at the Toronto Public Library during Asian Heritage Month, published in Canadian anthologies ‘Canadian Voices’ and ‘Indian Voices’, has conducted ‘creative thinking’, ‘media literacy’, and ‘interactive storytelling’ workshops in Toronto schools, has been Co-chair, panelist and jury member at multicultural conferences like the Marketing Awards, Shopper + Innovation Awards (SIA), and was on the Executive Jury representing Canada at the Gerety Awards, a diverse way of celebrating global work with a 100% female jury. She was named among The Message Canada’s Top 10 Mighty Women List for 2023, and Women We Admire’s ‘Top 50 Women Leaders in Toronto 2023’ for pushing the industry forward in meaningful ways.
Her global experiences have made Jessica a mentor to many women of cultural minorities, helping them build networks, providing guidance and sharing her love for Canada.
The Advertising Changemakers Series is presented by the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers.