Gescan is excited to announce the promotion of Jennifer Yates to the role of National Marketing Director for Sonepar Canada. Having joined Gescan in 2015 as Marketing Manager, Jennifer brings more than 13 years of marketing and seven years of electrical industry experience to the role, "It's important to understand the business. Gescan gave me the opportunity to engage closely with the field, customers and manufacturers, which will be extremely valuable in my new role working with the Sonepar operating companies (Opcos) across Canada."   

As a participant of the Sonepar Junior Committee (SJC) for three and a half years, Jen had exposure to all our Opcos in Canada, many across the US and globally. SJC is made up of associates across Sonepar who work on projects set by the CEO to develop and implement innovative new ideas in the business. Jen said, "My experience with SJC has been incredible. I had the opportunity to learn about many of our Opcos that are structured differently, serve diverse markets and customer segments and have varying areas of expertise. I was also exposed to many best practices while networking with people across the organization. It was a really enriching experience." Jen explained that SJC provided her with invaluable mentorship and is coaching another SJC group herself this year.    

Jen began her career in marketing with a small female-owned and operated startup in Montreal, working her way through various roles, including purchasing, design, product allocation, merchandising and marketing. After moving to Calgary, she moved to a major athletic clothing retailer before being approached to join Gescan. Jen was attracted to the impressive growth goals, untapped market opportunities and entrepreneurial culture.  

Having started with a small team and no previous knowledge of the electrical industry, Jen took advantage of Gescan's resources and network of industry experts, "I have felt supported from day one. Everyone took the time to sit with me and genuinely help me learn. This industry is full of approachable, passionate, and helpful people. They really want to see others succeed."  

Over the next seven years, Jen grew the marketing department 4-fold, created processes and tools around strategic goals, and facilitated cross-functional collaboration between departments. Her previous experiences helped her bridge the gap between purchasing and marketing, which was necessary in strengthening the omnichannel experience. "Our digital transformation was underway, and marketing was a relatively new, high priority function in the business. It was imperative to get everyone in the organization on board, driving towards the same goals. Working together, we enhanced our teams' ability to meet customer needs with marketing and digital tools. Today, our people believe in what we are doing from a marketing and digital standpoint. To have played a part in that is really rewarding."   

Gescan's marketing campaigns have also evolved dramatically under Jen's leadership and now involve all our experts and business units. Her biggest priority has always been to ensure the alignment of goals and go-to-market strategies between Gescan and its vendors to deliver effective, on-target, high-impact campaigns that truly resonate with customers. Jen and her team have been recognized for Best Integrated Marketing Campaign twice by Electro Federation Canada and won multiple awards, most recently 2021 Marketer of the Year award for North America from Legrand.  

Jen is excited to use her new position to bring forward and facilitate the sharing of marketing best practices between all of Canada's Opcos. She also plans to leverage analytics and new tools and strengthen existing programs, "Exciting things are happening. We're bringing on a CRM, will be implementing more marketing automation and are really gaining traction with our Voice of the Customer Program." Jennifer led the building and implementation of the Voice of the Customer Program across Canada and will be responsible for it from a national perspective going forward.   

Jennifer explained that she was attracted to the role with Sonepar for the same reasons she initially accepted Gescan's offer, "Here, you feel like you're in charge of your destiny. It's a place where you're encouraged to be creative, to try a crazy idea. It's a safe space, you're allowed to make mistakes and try again. I think that's why we're so innovative. It's ingrained in our culture. We have the infrastructure and resources to do big things combined with the room and ability to be creative." This also makes Gescan and Sonepar Canada agile, which is necessary as a marketer, where you need to respond to business trends, market climate and the unexpected quickly.   

Jen is as passionate about art as she is her work. An avid traveller, she has been all over the world between her travel with Sonepar and personal trips. Most of all, Jen enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt and toddler, Mason.