Virginia Greene

Virginia is the past President and CEO of connect@jwt North America. connect@jwt is the direct, CRM and digital division of J. Walter Thompson Advertising, and is a North America wide company with offices in 6 locations. Virginia is responsible for guiding the successful creation of this new company which is the merger of three previously independent entities, one of which is Go Direct Marketing of Canada.

She is widely known in marketing circles for her part in Go Direct’s business successes as founder, President, and CEO, for her teachings, presentations and speeches, and for her community involvement in a variety of not-for-profit settings. Virginia is a unique blend of visionary leader, pragmatic implementer, and respected advisor.

Prior to forming Go Direct Marketing, Virginia spent 10 years with the BC Government. Between 1983 and 1987, she held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Marketing for the BC Ministry of Tourism. During this period, she provided marketing leadership to both the Ministry and the tourism industry which was undergoing major infrastructure development in order to capitalize on Expo ’86.

In this leadership capacity she was responsible for managing intelligence gathering on potential markets; overseeing all advertising and promotions in major markets worldwide; managing trade development offices in Japan, London, England, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle; the development of industry associations; implementing marketing partnership programs with the private sector; liaising with the Expo Corporation, and developing the highly praised “Super Host” industry training program and many additional successful programs still in place in BC’s tourism industry. It was during this period that Tourism took its place as BC’s second largest industry.

During this period, Virginia was also responsible for the BC Film Commission during its infancy, developing successful strategies to attract film production to the Province and to build industry capability in BC.

Prior to her appointment to Tourism, Virginia was Director of the Employment Programs Branch of the BC Ministry of Labour and was the Director of the first “Women’s Office” in the Provincial Government, providing policy and program advice to Government on ways to improve employment equity and opportunities for women and working with Federal/ Provincial Task Groups to improve and harmonize workplace legislation and programs to encourage and support women’s participation.

Virginia is deeply involved in the community. She is past Chair of the BC/Yukon Board of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and has served on the National Board. She serves on the Board of the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Jack Webster Awards and is a founding member of the Premier’s BC Achievement Foundation. Until recently she also chaired the Marketing Committee of the National Capital Commission in Ottawa.

In 2003, Virginia was honoured with the Queen’s 50th Jubilee Medal for her long service to the community and her business accomplishments. She has taught Marketing at both SFU and The Banff School of Management.

Virginia was born in BC and she holds a degree in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. At the end of the day, Virginia Greene’s greatest happiness comes from the time she spends with her daughter, Justine, and her two-year-old grandson, Parker. Virginia has a deep commitment to the Province of British Columbia and recently ran unsuccessfully in the 2005 provincial election for the BC Liberal Party in Vancouver – Fairview.