TORONTO, CANADA // Derek Kent is Chief Marketing Officer for the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the architect of the newly re-imagined Canadian Olympic Team brand.

A bilingual Montreal native, Derek is a veteran marketing and communications executive with more than two decades of international experience working for some of the world's most recognizable and beloved brands. He thrives in high pressure environments, and has played a senior brand marketing role at six Olympic Games.

As the CMO of the COC, Derek is the creative force spearheading Team Canada’s new focus on digital and fan engagement, which has helped propel the brand to exponential growth across its digital and social platforms. Derek has been responsible for leading the strategy and execution for the COC’s most iconic, award-winning campaigns, including #GiveYourEverything (London 2012), #WeAreWinter (Sochi 2014), and most recently, ‘Ice In Our Veins’ (Rio 2016).

During the Rio 2016 games, Derek led the team that developed and executed a hospitality house, dubbed “Canada House,” which earned praise from athletes and their families, as well as critical design acclaim thanks to a partnership with renowned Canadian designers, Yabu Pushelberg. Strengthening of the COC’s brand health, has allowed the organization to enjoy the best commercial partnership success in its history, putting the COC on solid financial footing for years to come.

Prior to joining the COC, Derek served as the US Media Relations Director at Nike Inc. in New York City. During his eight years with Nike, Derek held various high-profile roles as a senior member of the brand’s global communications team, including: US spokesperson and New York Media Relations Lead for North America.

Prior to Nike, Derek was a Vice President at a leading Toronto consultancy, Veritas Communications and served as a Press Secretary for the Government of Canada.

Derek earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, where he was a junior member of the rugby team He loves sports and is an avid collector of baseball caps and sneakers.

He has completed two Toronto marathons, and enjoys playing hockey and golf. He currently resides in Toronto with his wife and two daughters.