References
“In addition to subject matter expertise, Don brought the right balance of strategic thinking and hands on experience. That mix was critical to developing a strategic and campaignable idea. With that foundation in place we have been able to maintain our marketing focus while the competition changed around us.”
Glenn Weckerlin
Global Director Brand and Product Line Management
Chevron, USA
“Finding and working with Don was a wonderful experience and everyone involved was extremly pleased with the outcomes. Don brings a wealth of experience and applied it to get into the minds and hearts of a completely new category for us. His global CPG background is a skillset unique in the Edmonton district. Conducting consumer market research outside of Toronto, Montreal, & Vancouver breaks the traditional CPG mold and gave everyone a sense that we were getting fresh insights.”
Timothy Lee
Director, Marketing Innovations
Afexa Life Sciences (Cold-FX), Canada
“I worked extensively with Don during his tenure in China. I found him to be an expert marketer with deep in-market experience in Asia. He brought a deep sense of partnership to our collaborations.”
Jane Price
Global Marketing Director, Social Media, Intel
Former Marketing Director, Intel China
"Don Norris has been a great partner with the Coca-Cola Company, providing solid council during trying times that helped us to chart the path forward"
Darren R. Marshall
Vice President, Global Customer & Shopper Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company
Former Group Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Pacific Group
“Don and Bamboo Strategy's insight and guidance has helped take our company to a whole new level. His expertise made us look at what we are great at and focused our positioning in the market place that has now opened many doors that we never knew could be open to us. We are grateful that we aligned our company with a "BIG" thinker and happy to report that we are well on our way to being a dominate company in our industry. Thanks again Don!
Mike Anderson
Executive Producer & CEO
Trixstar Productions, Canada
“Don is not only an insightful people manager, his strategic thinking skills are second to none. He is quick to size up issues, problems and opportunities and has a wonderful knack of synthesizing knowledge down to concise, highly marketable ideas. I suspect Don was intuitively thinking 'integrated' years before it became fashionable to use the word. In short, if you need someone to help you get to grips with business and brand issues, you'll find in Don an impressive intellect, intense rigour, boundless passion and a genuinely decent human being.”
Andrew Metcalfe
SVP Group Director, Strategic Planning
McCann Erickson, New York
“Don hired me in 1999 as Regional Account Director when he was at McCann APAC (Singapore office) and I have had many great experiences working with Don. He was very passionate, driven and strategic , these were great qualities to have in driving team work, success and managing high profile multi-national clients. He was also a great mentor in guiding me through my years at McCann.”
Sharon Kum
Marketing Communications Manager - Operations
Apple Asia
“Don conducted research for one of our clients. The research concluded in insights that were both unique and helpful and were used in the strategic planning for our client.”
Ernie Pasemko
Partner
Calder Bateman Communications, Canada
“WOW! This is the one word that sums up all my experiences with Don Norris. He is a visionary that has awakened my conscienceness to the new realities in which business is being conducted as well as how business will be conducted in the future. Also, he has provided me many creative ideas and strategic advice helping me broaden my career. Apart from his creativity and strategic advice, he is one of the best speakers I have ever encountered, delievering presentations in a way that is second to none. I recommend Don to anyone looking to ensure their business not only survives; but THRIVES!”
Michael Kroll
Vice-President, Business Growth Leader
Marsh Canada, Edmonton
“Don Norris ,was singularly responsible for stability in the Coca Cola business managed by McCann in the SEWA Region. He stepped in at a phase where there was a need for leadership that would help the company establish its self with expectations of the Client as tough as Coke. He built a team of amazing people around him and helped create a strong working structure that even till date after over 15 years works well for McCann Erickson and its relationship with COKE. He is clear, patient and more so a sharp leader who has clarity of what his outcome is. HE also makes a great friend and a great coach.”
Praveen Kenneth
Co-Chairman & Managing Director
Law & Kenneth Communications, India
"Don, I was very pleased with our collaborative session on October 2. Your presentation was great and prompted stimulating discussion, which resulted in a strong platform for decision making and planning."
Don Harfield
Senior Project Manager, Biosource Technologies, Life Sciences
Alberta Research Council, Canada
“Don was one of the best communication professionals who has both depth and width of understanding the Eastern markets practices particularly in China and Japan. He has a great track record of leading the Western multinational clients to a great success in these markets.”
Aki Kubo
President & CEO
Weber Shandwick Japan
“Don Norris is one of the strongest professionals when it comes to managing client relationships within our industry. His insights into the way clients operate, along with his instinct for what support mechanisms a client requires, makes Don one of the best in his chosen field. I highly recommend him.”
Glenda Wynyard
Owner, The Media Counsel, New Zealand
Former Managing Director, Universal McCann New Zealand
“In a world characterised, at local levels, by the increasing impact of gloablization companies especially in marketing and communications need to have professionals who can activate cross-cultural energy. Don is one such person; a team player who puts people(s) first- a rare talent. Professionally and personally one of the 'good guys' who I would not hesitate to work with again!”
Chris Beaumont
Director, North Asia, Results International Group
Past Chairman & CEO, Grey Group Japan
“Intense. Driven. Successful. When I worked with Don I knew this was going to be the lay of the land. It would be intense. We would be driven. And we'd win. Don, whether as a New Business Pitch Leader, Business Director and/ or ultimately the Managing Director of the Agency, had the ability to inspire greater work, more complete work, a greater team ethos and a greater unified focus. Don was a terrific leader, organized, detail orientated and always came with a clear agenda and clear objectives. And they were the kind you had to outdo yourself to achieve. He empowered people, clearly defined their roles, and then set them free, allowing them or the team team to find its heartbeat, while monitoring and increasing its pulse until Nirvana. And at the end of the day, in addition to his much admired intensity and passion, Don was a fair man, which his co-workers always appreciated. If I was a client Don Norris would be high on my list as someone I entrust my business too. I have a great respect for this man, his passion and his principles. Did I mention he loves to laugh as well?”
Bere Mitchell
Founder of Headspin, Shanghai
Former Chief Creative Officer of Red Lounge, Coca-Cola's Creative Agency in China
“I refer to Don as Western Canada's "best kept secret". He has experience in the marcom industry (on a global level) unmatched by anyone I've ever met. I've personally learned a great deal from Don and he's become an invaluable resource to my own growing marcom firm."
Jared Smith
Principal
Incite Marketing, Canada
“There are a number of compliments that you could write about Don. He's intelligent and resourceful. He's a true team player. People love to work with him. But I want to talk about his ability to deliver integrated marketing solutions. All of the big networks promote their ability to be integrated, but more often than not "integration" ends up being a bit of a cut and paste of ATL, event, PR and media buy decks slapped together as chapters. That is unless Don is leading the team. He knows each discipline's processes and capabilities. He's a marketing agnostic, understanding that big ideas can arise from any discipline, and ensures that teams work open source so that the best ideas shine through. Then he leads his teams to work together to deliver something greater than what they could have done in silo. And getting that done in Asia...that says even more about his ability and the faith he inspires in his reports.”
Michael Robinson
Asia Pacific Shopper Marketing Practice Lead
Momentum Worldwide, Singapore
“Don is one of the rare marketing experts I know who always keep overall business objectives and client interests top-of-mind. Even under truly difficult circumstances: good results, great attitude & generally fun to be around!”
Christian Gasser
Business Unit Head
Nestle China
“Don facilitated sessions that helped us understand not only our staff goals, but also the value that we bring to our customers. I would highly recommend Don and his ability facilitate discussions and enact change within your organization.”
Tony Schiebel
Director
Tantus Solutions, IT Consultancy, Canada
"Don's personality is somehow infectious with his passion work and management. I have learnt a few new management and insights discoveries from Don during my time working with this passionate individual. If there is any opportunity for me to cross paths with Don, I will not hesitate to take the plunge as I know the ship is solid and the compass is pointing North always"
Peter Tan
Strategic Advisor
S&D Marketing Services, China
"Don is a problem solver. As Chief Growth Officer he dealt with disparate line managers in diverse markets, each with their own pressures, priorities and agenda. Don managed stay focused, pull them together with good sense and good cheer, and get done what needed to be done"
Chintamani Rao
CEO
Times Global Broadcasting Co., India
“Don has a direct hands-on leadership style and was always able to get under the skin with any new business challenge. He's also a delight to work with and is someone I'd have no hesitation in recommending.”
Allan Medforth
Partner, Kinesis Media, Australia
Former EVP, Regional Director, Universal McCann Asia Pacific
“Don is undoubtedly one of the most talented integrated communications experts, I have come across during my 25 years in advertising and marketing in 4 countries. Strategically extremely astute, with an excellent grasp of what effective integrated communication can do for a client. He's full of energy with a never-say-die attitude and at the same time his heart is in the right place - as such quite a rarity in the advertising industry.”
Henrik Monefeldt
Retired Managing Director
MRM Worldwide, Hong Kong
“Don Norris hired me for my first Asia Pacific position as ‘new business & information manager’ – it was an outstanding time, where I learnt immensely and flourished under his guidance. Under Don's leadership, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific was the 'new business' leader in the region. Words come easily to describe Don – be it, his professional dexterity or his personal side. I have always admired his clarity – could be problem solving or strategic thinking – and have seldom come across someone with such exceptional client relationships. Don is a leader of exceptional stature in our business, with immense integrity...and above all he is a very fine individual.”
Neeraj Mehra
Director, Knowledge Management
McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific
“It was a pleasure to work with Don for 11 years in various senior roles across Asia. His professionalism and focus on client problems was always a benchmark within the company. He also always provided the key ability to actually understand the real brief and focus the team on obtaining th right answer”
David McCaughan
EVP, McCann Erickson Japan
Director Of Strategic Planning, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific
“Don and I worked together on several pitches during which time he led the team with great enthusiasm which helped galvanise and motivate everyone to achieve our very best. I found many of the insights Don shared with me I still apply today to our business, notably on new business. Furthermore, Don is a genuinely good bloke, good to deal with and someone who everyone felt they could trust and share difficult problems knowing he would empathise and offer solutions. I would welcome an opportunity to work again for Don and have no hesitation in recommending his services.”
Gus Gutherie
Principal
Momentum Worldwide, Australia