PAUL LEBLANC

Paul is the founder and former CEO of Extreme Group, known now as Arrivals + Departures with offices in both Halifax and Toronto.

Paul was instrumental in changing the conversation on creativity in Atlantic Canada. First, because he created a culture at Extreme that wasn’t afraid to push creative boundaries; and secondly, by founding the Ice Awards as a way to raise the bar for everyone in the region and bringing Atlantic Canadian creative into the national conversation.

No one can accuse Paul of being an advertising creative, but he understood the value creativity brought to business and harnessed it for the benefit of clients across Canada. As a serial entrepreneur, he applied that understanding successfully to a whole range of businesses. This is reflected in his many accreditations. To list a few: Paul is a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Award in Canada and has been awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. He’s in Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame and has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Influential Marketers.

Under his leadership, Extreme grew from a team of two to one of the largest independent agencies in Canada. More importantly for the industry, the agency created the kind of work that was shortlisted at Cannes and won at Marketing. It inspired clients, brought creative talent to the region, pushed other agencies to level up their creative offering, and let to the creation of Extreme in Toronto, pitching some of the best-known brands in Canada.

Last, and perhaps most, he was the driving force behind the creation of the ICE Awards. Through ICE, he made Atlantic Canada part of the national conversation around creativity in Canada. It gave agencies here the opportunity to be recognized nationally on Strategy’s Report Card; allowed local creatives the chance to have their work evaluated by internationally-recognized judges; and showed clients and agencies alike how creativity could supercharge their businesses.

NOEL O’DEA

Inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends in 2023, Noel O’Dea has always taken the road less travelled. Along the way, he’s journeyed through three distinct careers in marketing.

First, on the client-side as brand manager on national CPGs. Second, as tenured professor at Memorial University, where he taught advertising and marketing for a decade, and published Canada’s best-selling advertising textbook. Third, as the founder and strategic/creative leader of St. John’s, NL-based Target Marketing & Communications Inc.

Now in its 45th year, Target is Canada’s longest-running independent advertising agency. From its perch at the very edge of the continent, closer to Dublin than Chicago. Noel built one of Canada’s top creative agencies. He proved that world-class creative could thrive here, setting an inspiring new benchmark for creative excellence in Atlantic Canada.

His contributions span all pillars of marketing: education and training, brand-building, and community. Since 1980, he’s helped launch and grow hundreds of brands across multiple categories, including travel, tourism, retail, food, finance, and tech. His client roster ranged from local heroes like Air Nova to Canadian icons such as Air Canada.

Notably, Noel led the transformative repositioning and reinvention of the Newfoundland and Labrador brand, widely recognized as the most successful and most awarded destination marketing and advertising campaign in North America.

Target’s work has earned over 800 top-tier awards globally, including Gold at Cannes, London International, New York Festivals, and the CASSIES Grand Prix for advertising effectiveness. The agency has also won over 350 ICE Awards, including 10 Best of Show honours. And Target was named Canada’s inaugural Small Agency of the Year by Strategy.

Funny and witty (sometimes), off-kilter (often), and infectiously curious and passionate (always), Noel O’Dea is no vanilla cookie-cutter marketer. He’s known widely as a visionary leader, a powerful brand builder, a mentor and coach, a strategic and creative force, a champion of differentiation and competitive advantage, and a master storyteller. A true original.