Our people

Jim Hoggan is the leading authority on Canadian public perceptions on issues including the environment, climate change and sustainability. Jim is the founder and President of Hoggan & Associates, an award-winning public relations firm whose clients include B.C.’s most prominent corporations and government. He is also Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, a trustee of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education and co-founder of DeSmogBlog.com.

As a graduate of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth boot camp, Jim is also a well-tutored speaker on the impacts of climate change. The dialogue has been influenced as much by public relations as by science and this had led to widespread cynicism and mistrust. Jim has emerged as an unflinching critic of his industry and a provocative speaker on sustainability, education and corporate social responsibility. less

As Executive VP and one of Hoggan & Associates’ most senior counsellors, Karen is the company’s chief quality control officer. Her role demands the dedication and diligence that comes from more than 15 years in public relations and communications. Karen specializes in providing top-level client services to many of B.C.’s leading companies including Canadian Pacific Railway, Providence Health Care, QLT Inc. and AnorMED. She also provides guidance and mentoring to Hoggan’s other account managers.

Karen is an active and accredited member of the Canadian Public Relations Society and a member of the Board of Vancouver Aquarium. less

Nancy has held a variety of positions in communications, public relations and journalism over the past 20 years. Since joining Hoggan & Associates in 2001, Nancy has developed and implemented successful communications strategies for a number of B.C.’s leading companies. She provides sound strategic communications and community relations counsel on land development and municipal issues, sports and entertainment, travel and universities.

Prior to working at Hoggan, Nancy held senior communications positions with Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment and WIC Western International Communications Ltd.

Nancy is an accredited member of the Canadian Public Relations Society and has a journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal. Nancy serves on the Board of Directors of Canuck Place and is a member of the communications advisory committee for Canada’s World. less

Kristin Treat has more than 13 years of marketing communications and public relations experience in agency and corporate settings with both technology and consumer organizations, from start-up ventures to public companies. She has a proven ability to develop and execute strategic and tactical communications programs in dynamic markets that generate measurable results.

Prior to joining Hoggan & Associates, Kristin has represented well-known technology players such as Hewlett-Packard, QUALCOMM, and Tektronix (now Xerox) as well as start-ups including Primus Knowledge Solutions, Onyx, and Totality Corp. She has created and managed national communications programs for established consumer brands including Pfizer and Nature Made Vitamins.

Kristin graduated cum laude with a BA degree in communications and dual minors in sociology and business administration from Washington State University in Pullman. less

Alex has several years experience in corporate communications and public relations. Prior to joining Hoggan & Associates, Alex worked as a publicist at Corus Entertainment in Toronto, providing publicity and communications support to the Lifestyle, Drama & Movie portfolios including Movie Central, W Network and CosmoTV. Before joining Corus, Alex worked in documentary films and for an organization focusing on public affairs.

As an Account Manager at Hoggan & Associates, Alex provides media relations and communications strategies to a variety of projects and clients, including Endeavour Silver Inc., Glentel Inc., and Playground, an Intrawest Company.

Alex holds a BA in Drama from Bishop’s University in Quebec and a post-graduate Certificate in Public Relations from Humber College in Toronto. less

Erin has several years experience in both public relations and marketing communications, having worked in both the not-for-profit and corporate sectors. She has developed and implemented public relations programs for organizations such as United Way of Greater Toronto and Arts Umbrella, and has worked with clients in a number of sectors including the video game industry, IT, telecommunications and retail.

As an Account Manager at Hoggan & Associates, Erin provides media relations and communications strategy to a variety of projects and clients, including Electronic Arts Canada and Glentel Inc.

Erin holds a BA in Art History from the University of Victoria and a post-graduate Certificate in Public Relations from Humber College in Toronto. less

Kevin has more than six years of communications experience in the public sector for both the provincial and federal governments.

At Hoggan & Associates, Kevin holds the special title of Blog guru as the day-to-day operations manager of Jim Hoggan’s DeSmogBlog initiative. In this role, Kevin manages a team of contributors, orchestrates large-scale research campaigns and oversees the blog’s timely and thought-provoking content. Kevin spearheads a successful Canadian and U.S. media and blogger relations campaign that has garnered the DeSmogBlog coverage in major media outlets.

In previous roles, he served as a communications advisor in the areas of health care, Canadian heritage and Asia-Pacific trade. Kevin’s areas of expertise also include government relations, crisis communications, event planning and media relations. less

Kristen provides communications support to a variety of clients, including Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia, Century 21 Canada and Electronic Arts Canada.

Prior to joining Hoggan & Associates, Kristen organized and participated in public consultation for development and environmental permits for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Kristen has a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society of Vancouver. During her student days, she served as 93rd President of UBC’s Alma Mater Society, where she introduced online voting in student elections and the universal transit pass. less

Angela has over five years experience managing national campaigns and marketing communications in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, technology and retail. Angela provides media relations and communications strategy for clients including A&W Food Services of Canada, Century 21 Canada, and the Beef Information Centre.

Before joining Hoggan & Associates in 2004, Angela worked with Culinary Public Relations and The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. She has also provided counsel for non-profit organizations including the Terry Fox Foundation, KidSafe Project Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Angela has a BA in Communication and Criminology from Simon Fraser University and is an active member of the Canadian Public Relations Society. less

Olivia works closely with other members of Hoggan & Associates’ client services team to support the communications needs of a variety of client organizations. Current clients include Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation, Boardwalk Gaming and The Climate Change Project - Canada.

Olivia currently volunteers with the Canadian Public Relations Society helping to promote their 2009 Vancouver conference. She has also worked with the Vancouver-based organization, Direct Current Media, helping to generate positive media coverage of a new documentary TV series appearing on MTV Canada.

Olivia studied public relations at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. She has lived and worked abroad in Europe and in South East Asia. Her diverse experience and education bring a unique perspective and understanding of both people and communications. less

Don has over 15 years experience in public relations and investor relations in B.C.

Since joining Hoggan & Associates in 1993, Don has developed and implemented effective research-based communications strategies and tactics for an array of public, private and NGO organizations. He also has five years experience as Director, Corporate Communications for a publicly-traded medical device company and spent two years assisting the David Suzuki Foundation on communications campaigns on forestry, fisheries and First Nations issues. less

Ken Coach has helped hundreds of clients become more effective at getting their message across either through the media or through public speaking. He has successfully taken more than 25 years of varied media experience and combined it with the daily realities of running a business or organization. He has a rare ability to be able to still think like a journalist but no longer act like one.

Prior to joining the Hoggan team more than 10 years ago, Ken started his journalism career as a newspaper reporter and photographer and then spent several years in senior editorial positions at the CBC and CTV television networks. He has also worked for American television and publications, including a two-year stint living in New York City. less

Russ Froese has more than 34 years of journalistic experience in radio and television, in Canada and abroad. He has been an investigative reporter for the dominant news radio station in western Canada, CKNW; a documentary producer and host for the national CBC news magazine program, The Journal; and 6 o'clock anchor and senior producer at Global Television Vancouver.

At Hoggan & Associates, Russ helps with crisis management and media training for corporate leaders, politicians, environmentalists and not-for-profit leaders. less

Debra has more than 12 years public relations experience, specializing in marketing and employee communications, media relations and sponsorship marketing.

While with Hoggan & Associates Debra has worked closely with Capers Community Markets and managed the national public relations program for Century 21 Canada, as well as the media relations/investor communications program for Inex Pharmaceuticals. She has also worked on public relations campaigns for the Vancouver YWCA, B.C. Literacy and The Laurier Institution. less

Richard is another “recovering journalist,” having spent 20 years in daily newspapers (the Ottawa Citizen, Winnipeg Tribune, The Vancouver Sun) and several more as an award-winning writer for many local and national magazines. With that experience, he is a great resource for all questions of media strategy and training. He is also a regular speech writer for many business and academic leaders.

For the past 10 years, Richard has also consulted extensively with Hoggan & Associates on issues as varied as property development, legal affairs and environmental protection. As a former Director on the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board, Richard also brings an interesting mix of knowledge and experience on the political front.

Educated at Nipissing University College (English and Psychology), the University of Western Ontario (Law for the Journalist), UBC (Economics and Art History) and SFU (Japanese Language Studies). less

Terry McDonald can be found at his keyboard as early as 4 a.m. each morning pounding out copy or poring over analyst reports of Hoggan & Associates’ publicly traded clients.

Terry, who has worked with Hoggan since 1991, is a former reporter, city editor and business editor for three daily newspapers, and a senior editor of the Financial Times of Canada, where he reported on management strategies and investment prospects of various companies. He provides strategic counsel to help publicly traded companies deliver key messages to shareholders, the brokerage industry, institutional investors and the financial media. less

Apart from contributing 20 years of wide-ranging public relations experience, Nancy specializes in helping clients deal with their worst nightmare: a corporate crisis. It could be an oil spill, food poisoning, or a ski lift accident. The challenge is to know what to do and how to do it. Another of Nancy’s strengths is presentation training designed to help executives reach their target audience, whether it be a single reporter or a 1,500-delegate convention.

Nancy provides senior public relations counsel to a wide range of clients including ICBC, The B.C. Treaty Commission, Spectra Foods, Norske Skog Canada, Century 21 Canada, Intrawest, and BC Ferries. less

As Executive Assistant to James Hoggan, Kirsten provides organizational support by ensuring that his personal and business affairs are in order, and manages all the little details in a helpful manner. The most crucial of these duties is organizing his calendar.

Prior to joining Hoggan, Kirsten was an Executive Assistant for several years at Pacific Coastal Airlines. She graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Victoria. less

Mairin’s passion is helping others and that’s exactly what her role at Hoggan involves. As receptionist and office assistant Mairin supports the Hoggan team with activities such as media monitoring, internal event planning and other administrative duties. Her organizational skills keep the office running smoothly on a day to day basis.

Recently graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree, Mairin joins Hoggan after travelling extensively around Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan. Mairin’s previous work experience includes working as a receptionist for a wellness clinic and as an advisor at Aveda. less

As accountant, Cheryl’s strong work ethic and keen problem solving abilities are an integral part of her supporting role to the team and, ultimately, our clients.

With 20 years of experience in business administration, accounting and management, Cheryl has spanned many sectors, including other service industries.

At Hoggan & Associates, Cheryl helps prepare customized client invoices, screens and pays our supplier/partners, and helps solve the latest IT mystery. She is always willing to pitch in and will go the extra mile to ensure all tasks and jobs are done to the best of our abilities. less