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When the #MeToo reckoning came for Canadian arts
Biography
Marlie Oden was vice president of a major national advertising agency for 11 years. In 1995 she founded Bridge Communications, a marketing and communications firm based in Vancouver, and continues to bring her wealth of experience and expertise to many BC-based organizations. In the 1980s Oden was instrumental in developing the marketing around Tourism British Columbia, much of which is still used. She also wrote the first marketing plan for the thriving BC wine industry. Oden sat on the board of directors of Telefilm Canada from 2006-2011. She was a member of the Audit Committee and chaired the Communications Committee. She was instrumental in advocating for more funding for women in film and became a strong voice for the BC film and television industry. Oden served on the CBC/Radio-Canada board between 2012 and 2017, sitting on the Audit, Infrastructure, and Strategic Planning Committees and chairing the Communications Committee. It was one of the most pivotal times at CBC, as the Strategic Planning Committee was instrumental in introducing CBC’s first digital strategy. She has supported the cause of gender, cultural and ethnic equality, and diversity in the organizations with which she has worked. She has served on several arts boards, including Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver International Film Festival, Bard on the Beach, Stanley Theatre Society, Vancouver Fringe Theatre, Vancouver Tap Society, and Vancouver TheatreSports. At this time, Oden sits on the boards of Bard on the Beach, one of Canada’s most successful theatre companies, and the Vancouver International Wine Festival. As a breast cancer survivor she is active with Dense Breast Canada – an advocacy group. Oden is a member of the International Women’s Forum and in 2016 was nominated one of the 25 Women of Influence in BC, received the Mayor’s Arts Award and the Jessie Richardson Patron of the Arts Award. Through Bridge Communications, Oden currently provides CEO and senior management with the tools to be better leaders. She focuses on concise communications with underpinnings of empathy that resonate in these times.