Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships
Shaw Festival
Shari Willerton’s strategic approach to building long-term relationships has seen tremendous results for both sponsors and properties. Through her work in sponsorship, branding and communications, she has touched cause, sport, associations and the performing arts at national and regional levels.
Since 2007, Shari has managed the sponsorship portfolio with one of Canada’s top cultural institutions, The Shaw Festival in Niagara‐on‐the‐Lake. Shortly after joining The Shaw, the corporate portfolio increased its revenue, doubled the value of in‐kind revenue and integrated partnerships in new categories. The Shaw maintains a sponsor renewal rate of over 92% and recently signed on a six‐figure, multi‐year partner.
Prior to joining The Shaw, Shari worked for a brief period within the newspaper industry, managing the sponsorship program at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA), where she established the association’s second largest partner and created a unique niche for Molson Coors Canada. She also worked with CIBC for 12 years, managing sponsorships with such notable national properties as The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation‘s CIBC Run for the Cure, The Canadian Soccer Association, Guilda’s Club Worldwide and the YWCA, among others. Before moving into sponsorship, she was part of CIBC’s Corporate Brand area, during the transition to their brand identity that includes the current logo and the “For What Matters” tag.
