Leadership philosophy: The key to success is surrounding myself with people who know what I don’t. 

What do you do for fun? I love to hike in Alberta’s beautiful backyard and spend time with my two children. 

Although relatively new to the electrical industry, April Schaly is sparking changes with Gescan’s marketing and communications team. 

With more than 17 years of experience working in marketing and communications for non-profit organizations, government and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology — where she led an award-winning team of specialists who delivered impactful, integrated campaigns — April is eager to bring her skills to Gescan. 

Since joining Gescan in May 2022, April has hit the ground running, restructuring the marketing team’s roles and responsibilities and implementing processes to ensure a strategic and deliberate approach to sharing news and information about the company and its offerings, with an eye on growth.  

Staying up to date with current trends and marketing channels is a key part of April’s work. Building off her Communications degree from the University of Calgary, April obtained her professional management certificate, with a focus on strategic management, from that school in 2018. She has also earned a post-grad diploma in digital marketing. 

At the heart of her work is brand awareness, building and maintaining a strong reputation for Gescan, and product marketing — all of which she is using to bring new customers into the fold and celebrate relationships with existing ones. 

“I work to ensure our reputation, voice and messaging is aligned with what we’re trying to achieve at a strategic level,” she says.  

But all this, she says, is built around those she works with — those on her team, the wider Gescan family and the vendors and potential customers they serve. 

“For an organization to find success, the primary focus has to be the people.”