Martin Daraiche, president of NATIONAL Public Relations, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Seland as managing partner for Western Canada. In his new role, Mark will be responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of NATIONAL’s Calgary and Vancouver offices, developing strategic direction, and increasing the Firm’s business, profile, and engagement in major discussions while continuing to work closely with and provide senior strategic counsel to our clients.
“Mark is impactful, a collaborator, a team builder, a trusted advisor, and a creative solution provider. Committed and respectful, his leadership style matches the values and vision of NATIONAL. Mark will help us to continue building a high-performance and best-in-class organization that connects experts from throughout the Firm to complex client needs in Western Canada,” said Martin Daraiche.
“We have solid foundations and an expert and diverse team in Western Canada. With trusted relationships among our colleagues and clients in the West, across Canada and around the world, we are driving momentum, value, and growth for our clients and the Firm. We are thrilled to be working on mandates at the heart of issues that matter,” added Mark Seland.
Mark joined NATIONAL as senior vice-president of the Firm’s Calgary office in November 2020. He has over 30 years of experience and is regarded as a trusted advisor on complex strategies and issues resolution to boards, CEOs, government and political leaders in Canada and the U.S. Before joining NATIONAL, Mark was president and CEO of ABRIO Health, an organization striving to reconfigure public policy and structures in the community, healthcare, and social services to improve overall population health. Prior to this, he spent 17 years with Canadian Pacific Railway, leading the corporate communications team in U.S./Canada government engagement, marketing and internal communications, media relations, and crisis and community management, including acting as the internal executive communications advisor throughout the 2011/12 proxy contest. He is an alumnus of Mount Royal University, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and a regular lecturer on corporate culture, change management and extraordinary leadership. In his first year with the Firm, through a nomination by his colleagues, Mark received the AVENIR GLOBAL Visionary Leadership Model Award.