Keith J. Connell, MBA, PhD (c)

Design, develop and deliver fully online university courses in Business Communications I and II and Marketing, owning all content, materials and assessments.

• Implemented a data-driven early warning system that contributed to a 14% improvement in intervention outcomes across a cohort of 165 students.
• Integrated analytics, KPI reporting and AI-supported tools to show how data becomes evidence-based decisions.
• Mentor a diverse domestic and international student population through the transition into Canadian professional environments.

Lead the strategic growth, positioning and external engagement of a rapidly expanding digital marketing and communications program (Digital Content Creation and Strategy) within Ontario's competitive postsecondary sector, and design and deliver applied curriculum in marketing, social media strategy, analytics, content strategy, UX, web design, AI integration and business communication.

• Increased program applications by more than 50% year over year by establishing and monitoring KPIs across digital channels, audience engagement and conversion touchpoints.
• Built the program brand from inception; social channels generated 14,415 account views and reached 2,036 unique accounts in 90 days, with 81.9% of views from non-followers.
• Grew LinkedIn impressions by 33.7% over 90 days through a KPI-guided content cadence.
• Led program renewal through competitive analysis, stakeholder consultation and evidence-based recommendations to senior leadership.
• Built partnerships with employers, alumni and community organisations and produced networking nights, industry showcases and podcast events.
• Built thecollegeprof.ca, a free course platform that lifted engagement by more than 35% and average grades by about 18% while reducing textbook costs to zero.

Facilitate a professional certificate program on engaging adult learners, facilitating multigenerational and multicultural classrooms and coaching for performance.

• Apply adult learning theory deliberately in every session to design learner-centred experiences for working professionals.
• Independently developed a digital application to support course and class planning for facilitators.

Senior strategic marketing and digital communications advisor to organisations across Ontario, leading integrated campaigns, content strategy, SEO and analytics, and designing internal training, process documentation (TQM, ISO, Six Sigma) and change management programs.

• Increased audience engagement by an average of 12% and client revenue by an average of 8% across more than 18 client accounts.
• Increased average client digital presence by 53% through data-informed content strategy, audience segmentation and SEO.
• Connected CMS, CRM, analytics and communications platforms (Salesforce, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, WordPress) into scalable workflows.
• Delivered an AODA-compliant website strategy, design and launch for Empower Simcoe.

Delivered post-graduate certificate courses in Integrated Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing Communications in a fully online format, connecting brand strategy, multi-channel content and campaign measurement to the Canadian marketplace, and served as a student advocate and career mentor.

Coordinated the Business, Computer Studies and Interactive Web Design programs, working with students, faculty, administrators and community leaders.

• Designed custom software that moved program administration to a fully digital, paperless workflow.
• Supported special initiatives including Enactus (faculty advisor, 2019) and international education projects.

Directed digital strategy, brand governance and marketing communications across a 39-location national distribution network and led a high-performing marketing team.

• Contributed to more than $8 million in direct sales growth through marketing automation, audience segmentation and B2B lead engagement.
• Increased customer loyalty by 12% through CRM-driven segmentation and lifecycle workflows.
• Established performance dashboards and KPI reporting that enabled real-time optimisation of regional campaigns and events.
• Recruited, mentored and evaluated staff and built career development frameworks that supported retention.

Member of the executive leadership team guiding global brand positioning and international marketing strategy for a commercial lighting manufacturer, with an annual marketing budget exceeding $500,000.

• Increased international trade show attendance by an average of 8% a year while reducing costs by about 60% across 12 major events.
• Led the move from a static HTML site to a WordPress CMS integrated with engineering, cutting publishing time from weeks to hours and lifting web traffic by 27%.
• Established global brand governance, performance metrics and reporting frameworks across international markets.
• Used Microsoft Dynamics for segmentation and data-informed engagement across multiple markets.

Led and mentored a team of 15 remote and on-site professionals with clear performance expectations, coaching frameworks and accountability systems.

• Exceeded forecast sales targets by more than 17% across three business categories.
• Built a business intelligence reporting system integrating Excel and Remedy CRM data for performance visibility.

Led global marketing communications and brand strategy for an international security technology manufacturer with a presence in more than 37 countries and a Canadian market share above 70%.

• Led the positioning and commercial launch of two next-generation product lines across more than 37 countries.
• Supported more than 150 distributors with consistent brand standards and managed an annual budget exceeding $1.5 million.
• Built and led a marketing communications team of 12 and embedded Total Quality Management in marketing workflows.
• Led five major trade show strategies a year, measured against lead generation and exposure KPIs.

Built and scaled a high-performing sales operation from the ground up and led the adoption of the Telemation CRM.

• Grew a team of 12 to 15 sales professionals from start-up to the top-performing team in North America.
• Exceeded initial performance forecasts by more than 33% through KPI-driven coaching.
• Wrote the standardised training manual that became the benchmark for Canadian teams.
• Redesigned CRM training with small groups and peer coaches: support requests fell more than 80% and adoption reached 100% within 60 days.