Go ahead, call us social media dinosaurs. We’re not offended. Our team of experienced strategists and executives are renowned for being on to this social media thing since the beginning. Our leaders do speaking engagements all over North America and sit on advisory boards to share their unique perspectives. Meet the brains behind our philosophy, processes and products.

Maggie Fox – CEO Maggie Fox is the founder of Social Media Group, one of the world’s largest independent agencies helping business navigate the new socially engaged Web. Pioneers in their field, Social Media Group has developed social media strategies for some of the best-known brands in Europe and North America, including; Ford Motor Company, SAP Global Marketing, Yamaha Motor, Corbis and Harlequin Publishing. Maggie has been interviewed about social media by The Washington Post, CBC Radio, The Globe and Mail, CTV News,The Toronto Star and Marketing Magazine, among others. She was recently included in Women Who Risk, a listing of influential women who head up Internet-based firms, and is a member of both The Social Media Collective, an invite-only group of “the web’s best thinkers on media, marketing and web 2.0″ and the Enterprise Irregulars and she was also named one of the Top 100 Marketers in the 100th anniversary edition of Marketing Magazine. Maggie is frequently asked to speak to the media and business groups across North America about Web 2.0, and sits on the Advisory Board for SMToday Media, operators of The Social Media Collective and MyVenturePad sites. She also has a seat on the advisory board of Humber College’s Public Relations program. Download Maggie’s high res or low res headshots, short or long bio.

Leona Hobbs – Vice President Leona Hobbs is Vice President at Social Media Group where she leads the Community and Measurement & Monitoring groups and provides social media and digital communications counsel to SMG clients. Leona has over a decade of experience in public relations and marketing. After completing her journalism training, she joined Fleishman-Hillard Toronto. During her seven-year tenure with the agency, Leona worked on a wide variety of clients in industries as diverse as Internet services, telecom, health care, consumer electronics, agribusiness, and food and nutrition. Most recently, Leona worked as Director of Marketing and Communications for Tucows, an Internet services company. Leona has also worked with Yahoo! A specialist in digital communications, Leona frequently speaks about Internet-powered communications to students and at conferences. She is an advisor to the Public Relations Program at Loyalist College and a volunteer organizer of Toronto Girl Geek Dinners.

Doug Walker – Director of Strategy Doug Walker has seen the power of viral and word-of-mouth communications first hand. He conducted a unique experiment to become the world’s leading authority on the subject of Rock Paper Scissors. The experiment was a massive success and led to interviews by hundreds of media outlets including Rolling Stone, CNN, BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Today Show to name a few. He is the author of The Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide (Simon & Schuster, 2004), is the subject of a feature film documentary at the 2007 Calgary International Film Festival (Audience Choice Award) and runs the annual World Championship of Rock Paper Scissors in Toronto. Prior to joining SMG Doug spent over twelve years developing and implementing online strategies for some of the world’s highest profile brands including General Motors, Molson Breweries, IBM, Microsoft, Rogers AT&T and Scotiabank. He is an active participant in Canadian social media circles, hosting the Social Media Today Podcast, maintaining the advertising and culture blog webwalker.ca as well as giving frequent speeches and seminars on viral and social media.

Sharon Fernandes – Manager of Community Group Sharon Fernandes is the manager of the community group at Social Media Group where she defines and delivers campaigns and programs for clients and ensures effectiveness through tactical execution and results reporting. Before joining SMG, she worked as a digital consultant for Hill & Knowlton, guiding clients through strategy and execution of social media campaigns. With a strong focus on business objectives, Sharon has experience in all sectors including technology, packaged goods, food & beverage and Web 2.0. She has successfully helped businesses achieve strong results in social network engagement and integration strategies as well as blogger relations, community management and the design and implementation of web-based assets. Prior to her agency experience, Sharon worked for a major Canadian Bank in Communications and Public Affairs where she was responsible for proactive media relations in philanthropic efforts across Canada. Sharon’s other abilities include speech writing, event coordination and internal relations.