ABOUT US

Diversity Lives Here

Ethnicity Matters: A team of cultural marketing experts bringing brands to new Canadian buyers

WHO WE ARE

As one of Canada’s leading multicultural marketing agencies, Ethnicity Matters helps companies engage, empower and acquire ethnic customers — both new immigrants and second-generation Canadian consumers.

We bring your company’s products and services  to a diverse  marketplace meaningfully, strategically and profitably.  With our emphasis on data, we bring our clients the latest insights into Canada’s ethnic consumers And build a strategy to generate the results you need.

From Chinese and South Asian, to Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, Iranian, Portuguese, Hispanic, Filipino, Greek, Arabic and beyond – we have the capabilities to reach a full spectrum of cultures.

Ethnicity Matters: A team of cultural marketing experts bringing brands to new Canadian buyers

As one of Canada’s leading multicultural marketing agencies, Ethnicity Matters helps companies engage, empower and acquire ethnic customers — both new immigrants and second-generation Canadian consumers.

We bring your company’s products and services  to a diverse  marketplace meaningfully, strategically and profitably.  With our emphasis on data, we bring our clients the latest insights into Canada’s ethnic consumers And build a strategy to generate the results you need.

From Chinese and South Asian, to Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, Iranian, Portuguese, Hispanic, Filipino, Greek, Arabic and beyond – we have the capabilities to reach a full spectrum of cultures.

WHAT WE DO

Ethnicity Matters builds brand platforms to drive sales, impact culture and engage publics. In the simplest terms, we make your products and services a meaningful part of the lifestyle of ethnic consumers.

How do we do this? A lot of agencies focus on two things: creative and implementation We do a lot more:

  • Education:  The multicultural opportunity and how to seize it.
  • Research and Data:  Including global benchmarking and trend analysis
  • Insights: To drive successful marketing strategies
  • Creative and Marketing Execution: We plan, create and launch digital, PR, social, creative and game changing marketing services that boost revenues
  • Media: Exceptional media buying power to reach ethnic markets
Explore Our Solutions

WHAT WE DO

Ethnicity Matters builds brand platforms to drive sales, impact culture and engage publics. In the simplest terms, we make your products and services a meaningful part of the lifestyle of ethnic consumers.

How do we do this? A lot of agencies focus on two things: creative and implementation We do a lot more:

  • Education:  The multicultural opportunity and how to seize it.
  • Research and Data:  Including global benchmarking and trend analysis
  • Insights: To drive successful marketing strategies
  • Creative and Marketing Execution: We plan, create and launch digital, PR, social, creative and game changing marketing services that boost revenues
  • Media: Exceptional media buying power to reach ethnic markets
Explore Our Solutions

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Don’t outspend the competition. Outsmart them. Not only are we savvy when it comes to buying ethnic media, we also know that the solution doesn’t always need to be a traditional one. Look to us for powerful and cost-effective solutions such as grassroots activations, partnerships, sponsorships, Influencer programs, PR and guerrilla tactics – to reach your multicultural marketing goals.

OUR PEDIGREE

Our super power is our people – and the top credentials of the marketing veterans who lead the agency.

Each individual on our Ethnicity Matters team of multicultural marketing experts brings a diverse set of perspectives and specialized marketing expertise. They are veterans and next gens, corporate and agency–trained, all working together, insightfully and passionately under one roof. Each member of our Ethnicity Matters family has their finger on the pulse of what matters now to ethnic communities. Our multilingual experts hail from across the street and around the world. They speak your language – and the language of the communities you need to reach: a multitude of languages and dialects in all.

At the helm  of Ethnicity Matters are two industry leaders: Bobby Sahni, the former Head of Multicultural Marketing for Rogers, and Howard Lichtman, the former CMO of Cineplex as well as the strategic mastermind behind the Taste of the Danforth.  They bring the corporate lens to the ethnic opportunity.

OUR LEADERSHIP

Howard Lichtman

Howard Lichtman, Partner & Co-founder

Howard Lichtman is a founding Partner of Ethnicity Matters, which is Canada’s leading authority in marketing and communications to a multicultural world.

Prior to Ethnicity, Howard was the President of The Lightning Group and Executive Vice President of Marketing Communications at Cineplex. He is also responsible for all of the marketing, programming and sponsorship for the Taste of the Danforth. He created the American Express Front of the Line program, transformed cinemas from being just movie theatres to being media outlets with launch of screen advertising and he has sold the largest sponsorship to live theatre in history – $15 million to Amex, Pepsi and Labatt.

Howard is JD and MBA, taught a course at Ryerson on How to Launch an e-Business, was the past Vice Chair of the Ontario Science Centre, and is currently serving on the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place and The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and a number of other non-profit organizations.  Howard is an angel investor in Sensibill, NXCAR, Dot Health, Mediseen and LifeWire, as well as a member of the Schulich School of Business Global Management Program’s “Devil’s Advocate” Panel.He also serves as a judge of The Global Hult Competition.

Bobby Sahni

Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-founder

As the former head of Multicultural Marketing at Rogers Communications, Bobby’s successful initiatives have earned him recognition as a leading Canadian authority on ethnic marketing. He founded Ethnicity Matters together with partner Howard Lichtman in 2013.

In addition to spearheading Rogers’ multicultural marketing successes over recent years, Bobby brings nearly two decades of cutting-edge achievements in developing, executing and managing multicultural marketing initiatives for best-in-class organizations including ICICI Bank and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) Canada Post and Star Media Group. Bobby has earned national and international recognition for his work in both Canada and the United States. Today, he is also a sought-after educator, expert and speaker who guest-lectures at Canadian universities and delivers keynote addresses at industry events and conferences across North America (see list below). Bobby earned his joint MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Schulich School of Business at York University. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo.

A passionate community supporter, Bobby has sat on various advisory Boards, and was a Board of Director for the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Reel Asian Film Festival and Punjabi International Film Festival.

Howard Lichtman

Howard Lichtman, Partner & Co-founder

Howard Lichtman is a founding Partner of Ethnicity Matters. Prior to Ethnicity, Howard was the President of The Lightning Group and Executive Vice President of Marketing Communications at Cineplex. He is also responsible for all of the marketing, programming and sponsorship for the Taste of the Danforth. He created the American Express Front of the Line program, transformed cinemas from being just movie theatres to being media outlets with launch of screen advertising and he has sold the largest sponsorship to live theatre in history – $15 million to Amex, Pepsi and Labatt.

Bobby Sahni

Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-founder

As the former head of Multicultural Marketing at Rogers Communications, Bobby’s successful initiatives have earned him recognition as a leading Canadian authority on ethnic marketing. He founded Ethnicity Matters together with partner Howard Lichtman in 2013. In addition to spearheading Rogers’ multicultural marketing successes over recent years, Bobby brings nearly two decades of cutting-edge achievements in developing, executing and managing multicultural marketing initiatives for best-in-class organizations including ICICI Bank and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) Canada Post and Star Media Group.

Howard Lichtman

Howard Lichtman, Partner & Co-founder

Howard Lichtman is a founding Partner of Ethnicity Matters, which is Canada’s leading authority in marketing and communications to a multicultural world.

Bobby Sahni

Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-founder

As the former head of Multicultural Marketing at Rogers Communications, Bobby’s successful initiatives have earned him recognition as a leading Canadian authority on ethnic marketing.

Rebecca Ho - Chief Operating Officer

Rebecca Ho

Chief Operating Officer

Christina Bellevue - Senior Account Director

Christina Bellevue

Senior Account Director

Brian

Brian Tong

Account Director

Josie Ciccarelli - Account Director 4

Josie Ciccarelli

Account Director

Kushal

Kushal Trivedi

Account Manager

Lekha Mehta - Account Coordinator2

Lekha Mehta

Account Coordinator

Ali

Ali Hassnad

Account Coordinator

Riki

Riki Yao

Associate Creative Director

Pon Lau, Senior Production Artist

Pon Lau

Senior Production Artist

Abhijeet

Abhijeet Ray

VP, Media Relations & PR

Chris

Chris Tsoi

Media Planner

Akhil

Akhil Das Mangalassery

Media Planner

Venkat

Aakash Patel

Sr. Media Planner, Traditional

Ziwei Gao - Media Planner

Ziwei Gao

Media Planner

Oriana Rosario - Media Coordinator

Oriana Rosario

Media Planner

Lori

Lori Neumann

Office Manager

helen

Hellen Wei

Accountant

Swati

Swati Mayo

Media Coordinator

Edward

Edward Der

Head of Research & Insights