Avenue Strategy founder, Kathleen Vollebregt, has more than 25 years in the advertising, research and marketing fields. Kathleen has worked with some of the finest minds and firms in the industry. She was lucky enough to start her career in market research with Commins, Wingrove a consulting group that served as the research department for a number of international conglomerates including Unilever, Pepsi, and Burger King.

From Commins, Wingrove she moved to consumer insights at Y&R, Toronto, one of the largest full-service advertising agencies in the world. Working on a diverse range of brands including Ford, Advil, KFC, Hersey’s and Doritos, she learned to create effective advertising using the knowledge and techniques that Y&R has developed over decades as one of the world’s leading ad firms. When Y&R created the largest brand database in the world, Kathleen was part of the team that oversaw its introduction to Canada.

Continuing her interest in understanding the link between consumers and brands Kathleen joined TBWA/Chiat/Day as a senior account planner. Working with some of the top masters of meaningful storytelling, Kathleen learned to art direct, write copy and develop a media plan. She took workshops from Lee Clow, the firm’s director of media arts, and creative director of the famous 1984 Apple Macintosh ad. This eclectic mix of experiences was possible thanks to TBWA’s pioneering account-planning model of advertising development, which gathers together people from across the agency into one team to share their expertise.

After her agency stints, Kathleen returned to Commins, Wingrove as a partner providing research and strategic planning counsel to the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Unilever’s Personal Wash Division, and Alberto Culver.

More recently Kathleen has shared her expertise with Queen’s University as director of marketing, where she led her team in the development of the university’s first-ever brand positioning. This positioning became the foundation for Queen’s Initiative Campaign which raised an excess of $640 million, as well as for many of the marketing programs within the university’s faculties and schools. Kathleen also shaped the visual identity for Queen’s, creating a consistent look based on the university’s traditional colours. During her tenure, her team was the recipient of many awards from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for excellence in the development of higher education marketing.

The heart of Kathleen’s success in developing brand and marketing solutions lies in her interest in understanding how people interact with the world around them and how it affects their behaviours and attitudes. Her personal philosophy is to stay curious. Kathleen is a BBA graduate of Schulich School of Business, York University, a certified marketing research professional (CMRP), and a RIVA-trained moderator. She serves on the board for the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce and the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. An avid runner, Kathleen has completed 6 half-marathons, and 1 marathon, and has recently added cycling to the mix, competing in several duathlons.