Huw Williams, President

Huw Williams is the President of Impact Public Affairs and specializes in government and media relations. Prior to forming Impact, Mr. Williams was the Director of Public Affairs for a national industry association. With extensive experience in the print and broadcast media, he has appeared frequently as a corporate spokesperson on CBC and CTV national news. Mr. Williams’ government experience is diverse, having served as Acting Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada; as a Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Constitutional Affairs; and as a Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly. He has also served as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. In 2003, Mr. Williams authored “A Government Relations Guide For Directors of Non-Profit Organizations” published by the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE). He also served on the board of directors for the Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC).

Mr. Williams holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Calgary. He has also completed studies at the Université de Tour in France and is fluent in French and English.

In 2006, Mr. Williams was recognized by the Ottawa Business Journal with the “Top Forty Under Forty Award” for professional success and community involvement. In 2009, Mr. Williams was named one of the top 100 lobbyists in Canada by The Hill Times.

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Barb Barrett, Senior Communications Consultant

Barb Barrett is a Senior Communications Consultant for Impact Public Affairs specializing in media relations and corporate communications. Ms. Barrett has over ten years experience directing communications campaigns for some of Canada's leading corporations and associations both for leading communications agencies in Toronto and as the Director of Communications for a major international automaker. Ms. Barrett has coordinated media programs across North America and Europe including the management of major public relations initiatives related to Formula One Racing. Ms. Barrett has extensive contacts in the both the national media and trade media. Ms. Barrett is also an expert in special event coordination and product launches. Ms. Barrett holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Nipissing University.

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Peter Woolford, Senior Advisor (Toronto)

Peter joined Impact’s team in December 2009 following a distinguished 20-year career as Vice President of the Retail Council of Canada responsible for government relations, and public policy. The Retail Council of Canada is one of Canada’s largest associations and the country’s largest retail association.  Prior to joining the Retail Council, Peter served as a senior public servant in Ottawa in the departments of Finance, Industry and the Privy Council.  While at the Retail Council, Peter worked closely with Impact clients on a number of government relations issues including the HST and other retail tax issues. Peter is bilingual and very experienced working with small and medium sized businesses.    Peter has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Moving forward, Peter will provide Impact’s clients with advice on advocacy strategy and will use his extensive network of government contacts to advance issues in Finance and Industry.  Peter will also provide insight and advice on matters of economic policy.

Michael Hatch, Senior Consultant

Michael Hatch is a Senior Consultant for Impact Public Affairs specializing in financial policy and economics.  Michael has extensive public sector experience, having served three years as an economic policy advisor on Parliament Hill. Most recently, he worked for a Big-Four accounting firm as a consultant, advising multinational clients on matters relating to multi-jurisdictional tax and compliance issues.  In addition to his work experience in Canada, Mr. Hatch also spent more than three years living in Europe. Michael holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Toronto and is fluently bilingual.

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Alana Fontaine, Director of Public Affairs

Alana Fontaine has extensive experience coordinating major national advocacy campaigns and is the lead organizer for many industry association lobby days. Due to Alana’s background in research and analysis from her former position in the automotive industry, she plays a key role in supporting client public affairs campaigns and monitoring legislative initiatives. In addition, Alana holds a strong background in media relations, maintaining a wide range of contacts in both the national media and travel media, and is a specialist in managing and successfully executing media familiarization trips.  Ms. Fontaine's work in PR has been recognized internationally by PR News in both Washington, D.C. and New York City. Ms. Fontaine holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree and has completed a post-graduate Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. Alana maintains a close network with Members of Parliament and their staff and she is fluently bilingual.

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Michael Powell, Government Affairs and Research Associate

Michael Powell brings extensive research and written communication skills to
Impact Public Affairs. His professional experience includes campaign roles
with the Federal Liberal Party organizing campaign events in targeted
ridings and special events with the Prime Minister's Tour. He has previously
worked as a professional researcher in a variety of fields, with his work
having been published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Michael holds a
Bachelor of Arts with Combined Honours in History and Political Science from
Carleton University, where he is presently completing a Master of Arts in
Canadian History.

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Emily Reid, Public Relations Associate

Emily is a Public Relations Associate for Impact Public Affairs. Emily joined Impact with an extensive background in customer service and special events. Emily previously worked for one of Canada's leading broadcasting corporations where she was part of a large scale national development program. Emily's work with numerous clients has led to recognition from the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) and she has worked on leading advocacy campaigns for some of Canada's largest organizations. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English and Theatre from the University of Ottawa and is bilingual.

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Angèle Lapointe, Public Relations Associate (Montréal)

Angèle Lapointe has a wide-ranging background in both public relations and event planning. Her professional experience involves work in Montreal’s reputable fashion industry and with the action sport and lifestyle markets. She has also worked in the independent music and non-profit sectors. Angèle has contributed to a variety of events, including tradeshows, product and album launches, festivals, and benefit concerts. Her area of expertise includes social networking, media relations, as well as creating and executing communications plans.  Angèle has completed a Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations at l’Université du Québec à Montréal. She also holds a major in Anthropology from l’Université de Montréal. Angèle’s first language is French and she is fluently bilingual in both official languages.

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Cynthia brings several years of event planning and hospitality services experience from luxury hotels both in Canada and the United States. She was involved in a national advertising campaign for the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago where she appeared in Newsweek magazine, ABC news and Fox news.  She also worked in event planning for the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. Cynthia is specifically familiar with non-profit communications strategy, and worked at a prominent international charity prior to moving to Impact Public Affairs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology from Queen’s University, and a Masters of Arts in Communications from the University of Ottawa.

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Jackie Penner, Public Affairs Assistant

Jackie brings ample experience in both event coordination and public relations to Impact Public Affairs. Jackie has successfully planned and executed numerous events for non-profit organizations and high profile government related events. Jackie completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Law with a minor in Psychology from Carleton University, where she captained the varsity women’s soccer team. She also completed post graduate studies in Event Management at Algonquin College.