who we are

Darren is our director of strategy, overseeing all branding and strategic planning for our clients.

Darren provides Tugboat clients a 720º strategic perspective and creates the framework of knowledge, discipline and rigour within which results are definite and measurable.  He is the architect of the processes employed to get our clients more of something.  More awareness.  More sales.  More per transaction.  More relevance.  More more.

Apart from his function in strategy and tactics, Darren facilitates brand visioning sessions with our clients to pull from them the hidden ideas and thinking about their organizations (they might not even know they had) to create ownable and defendable brand positioning and architecture that nourishes the creative process. It's a lot of fun.

An Ottawa native and graduate of the Algonquin College Public Relations program, Darren has been in the business for (gulp) 20 years, during which time he has founded two agencies (one as creative director and the other as director of strategy). Having this background enables him to insert into any department and speak multiple marketing languages with ease.

He has worked on accounts large and small, including: Volkswagen Canada, Rogers Video, Dairyland, BC Hydro, Purdy's Chocolates, Rogers' Chocolates, Cinnamon's Chocolates, Sandhill Wines, Calona Vineyards, Le Vieux Pin and LaStella wineries (are you seeing a pattern here?), Nando's Flame-Grilled Chicken, Kanke Restaurants, BC Raspberries and Sierra Wireless among others. B2C, B2B, packaged goods, retail, financial, apparel, F&B, agriculture, tourism, tech, forestry, telecom, his experience is well-rounded across multiple sectors.

He is (albeit rusty these days) fluent in French (the poutine dialect) and Spanish (rusty to the point of seized at times). He also studied Latin for four years.  Yes, cunning indeed.

He mines joy from many sources. His daughter, travel, giving back (he was the head fitness coach for Vancouver Special Olympics and is very involved with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver), martial arts, tequila, wine making, chocolate, sport shooting, and tooling around the province in his Delica.

Little-known tidbit:
Darren was once an aerobics instructor. Don't laugh. Straight guy. Room full of women of a certain age. Do the math…