who we are
Rosemary Thompson is a Co-Founder of Stratégies Artful. She is a remarkable communications leader, having served as a foreign correspondent for CTV National News at the White House, and later as Deputy Bureau Chief in Ottawa. She has covered seven election campaigns and two referendums. Later in her career she worked for the legendary CEO of the National Arts Centre Peter Herrndorf, for nearly a decade and was a key player in the $225.4M redevelopment of the building. She has served as a Senior Executive at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the National Gallery of Canada and most recently built the Coalition for a Better Future, Canada’s newest public policy organization from the ground up. She is a great listener, a remarkable storyteller, a gifted marketing executive, and a very successful fundraiser from both public and private sources. She is dedicated to building a better country by lifting the stories of organizations that will drive the transition to a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous Canada.
Joshua Knelman is a Co-Founder of Artful Strategies. He is a dynamic communications specialist and a multi-award-winning author and editor who has contributed to numerous high-profile initiatives with leading media, cultural and educational organizations across Canada, including Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, The National Gallery of Canada, PEN Canada, Against the Grain Theatre, The Riopelle Foundation, Calgary Wordfest, The Walrus magazine and Massey College at The University of Toronto. As a journalist his writing has been published in The Globe and Mail, National Post, The Walrus, Toronto Life, CBC Arts and Saturday Night magazine, receiving multiple National Magazine Awards and nominations, including the Gold Award for Arts & Entertainment Writing. His critically-acclaimed books have been published in multiple languages and countries, and earned him the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. He enjoys working alongside creative teams to elevate an organization’s vision, mission, and narrative—to identify and communicate inspiring stories, engaging diverse and new audiences.
Pierre Boulet is Artful Stratégies lead on all projects in Québec and French speaking Canada. He studied comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, and completed degrees in French Literature and Education from the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Université de Montréal. He has worked as a French speaking journalist for Radio-Canada, and as a French language teacher in Montréal, Washington and Ottawa before moving into translation and media relations for Artful. He is an expert translator and editor, and enjoys pitching media across the country who are interested in stories about the individuals and organizations that will help transition Canada into a more sustainable, inclusive and inspiring country.
Denise Siele is Artful Strategies Senior Advisor for the National Capital Region. She's an award-winning marketing, communications and stakeholder relations professional who has worked with leaders across national, provincial and local governments and with industry and non-profits. Her career experience includes Press Secretary to the Official Leader of the Opposition, the National Gallery of Canada, Equal Voice, United Nations Association of Canada and the University of Ottawa. A regular political analyst and commentator on Canada's major television and radio networks, she brings a deep understanding of politics, media relations and stakeholder engagement.
Passionate about service, she has served as president of the Canadian Club of Ottawa; Telus Ottawa Community Board and the Algonquin College Foundation Board.
A recipient of the 2015 Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Forty under 40 Award; 2015 Ottawa Life Magazine Top 25 People in the Capital; and 2016 100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women – she is committed to working with change leaders and organizations to build stronger, more prosperous communities.
Sarah Hampson is Artful Strategies Advisor for Atlantic Canada. For over 20 years, she was a marquee columnist for Canada’s leading national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, where she profiled hundreds of leading figures in business, sports, politics and the arts.
Her 30-year career in the creative industries has spanned all aspects of marketing, television advertising, book publishing, magazine journalism, column writing and feature writing. In addition, she has ghost-written business articles and coffee table books; written speeches and podcasts; and produced content for several companies.
She has been recognized for her work in advertising and journalism with numerous prestigious awards, starting in 1986. In 2010, her memoir was published by Knopf Canada and went on to be a national bestseller. Her debut picture book for children came out with Kids Can Press in 2018. Sarah has recently finished her debut novel, a work of adult historical fiction.
Born in Montreal, she lived in Toronto for over 30 years and has recently moved to an historic seaside village on the south shore outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia.