Black and white portrait of a smiling man with a shaved head and full beard, wearing a suit jacket and light-colored shirt against a plain background.

Umar Ghumman

Digital Experience Strategist.

500M+ Sales

5X Conversion Lift

North American delivery

52+ Awards

40+ Enterprise Websites

500M+ Sales • 5X Conversion Lift • North American delivery • 52+ Awards • 40+ Enterprise Websites •

About Me

I am a strategy leader who turns positioning into websites and go-to-market systems that drive growth.

My work spans brand strategy, experience design, behaviour change, and conversion thinking, with deep hands-on scope across experience vision, content strategy, information architecture, UX direction, and creative and design direction, working closely with product, design, and engineering teams to bring it to life.

My experience includes healthcare, automotive, CPG, SaaS, insurance, and non-profit across Canada and the U.S.

I’ve held senior digital strategy roles at VML, Publicis, and Stagwell, partnering with CMOs, VPs, and founders. My work has been recognised by the Webby Awards and the Canadian Marketing Association, and featured in Forbes, The Globe and Mail, and The Wall Street Journal.

I write for industry publications including WARC and Campaign Magazine, and my work has appeared in an industry book on strategy and creativity.

I hold an MBA in Marketing, with executive education in strategy, design, and foresight from Rotman School of Management and the University of Houston.

How I Think

The best brands start with a clear point of view.

That point of view should shape the digital experience, not just the advertising.

When positioning, experience design, and go-to-market systems work together, the result is a connected engine that drives demand, conversion, and long-term trust.

FEATURED AND PUBLISHED IN

Campaign

WARC

FastCo

WSJ

Globe and Mail

• Campaign • WARC • FastCo • WSJ • Globe and Mail

Selected Brand Experience

Consumer Packaged Goods

Coca-Cola, Häagen-Dazs, Kit Kat, Danone, Red Bull, Kruger Products

Automotive

Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Mazda

Technology

Microsoft, LG, Rogers

Retail

The Home Depot, Adidas, Shell

Financial Services

TD, PayPal, Capital One

Healthcare

The Ottawa Hospital

Public and Non-Profit

UNICEF, City of Toronto, Canada Post

Gaming

Ubisoft

EXPERTISE

Research & Insights

Positioning & Messaging

Digital Experience Strategy

CRM Strategy & Journeys

Facilitation and training

Research & Insights • Positioning & Messaging • Digital Experience Strategy • CRM Strategy & Journeys • Facilitation and training •

How to Work With Me

I work with organizations and leadership teams in four ways.

1. Digital experience strategy

Positioning and Messaging, UX research, experience vision, information architecture, content strategy, and conversion strategy for websites, products and platforms.

2. CRM strategy and journeys

Lifecycle journeys, messaging, triggers, and programs that connect back to the websites and products.

3. Go-to-market and activation

Go-to-market planning, communications and campaign strategy, and channel activation that connects positioning, website content, and CRM.

4. Facilitation and Teaching

Design thinking workshops, leadership sessions, training programs, and structured foresight exercises that help teams align, decide, and move forward.

Let’s talk.

Speaking, Teaching, and Thought Leadership

I’ve spoken at conferences, universities, and brand summits on digital strategy, AI, and customer experience.

Selected talks include Collision Conference, Ad Club of Toronto, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, TD Bank, and Toronto Metropolitan University.

As an educator, I’ve taught strategy and experience design at Miami Ad School, where I also served as Fractional Director of Marketing and Program Director for their Strategy Bootcamp. I’ve guest lectured at Humber College, Seneca, and the Rotman School of Management, and serve on the Program Advisory Committee for Humber’s Advertising Program.

I’ve designed courses for the Interactive Advertising Bureau, and have served as a jury member for the Effies, CMAs, and Strategy Awards.

I currently sit on the board of Jack.org, a nonprofit advocating for mental health systems designed with and for young people.

Interested in working together?

If you’re planning a website redesign, activation, or strategy workshop, let’s talk.

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