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TL;DR

LinkedIn:

/mclellanchris

Certifications:

Volunteering:

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Quick facts:

  • 50+ campaigns in Canada, US, and UK​​

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  • Companies backed by Sequoia, Union Square, Accel Partners, Sir Richard Branson

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  • Specialist in product marketing, demand gen programs, knowledge bases, and AI ops​​

 

  • Full stack from CRM to knowledge bases

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  • ​Launch manager for Lyft Canada

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  • Producer of AI industry podcast with 25K+ downloads

 

  • Co-author & Tech Lead for international data standard

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  • Passionate about AI and collaboration

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  • Airtable, Attio, Apollo, Descript, Claude Design, Gamma, Google Data Studio

PROFESSIONAL POV

Marketing For How The Web Works Now

The web is changing faster than many companies can keep up. After just a few years of existence, AI chatbots and agents are already reshaping how customers are discovering, comparing, and purchasing products online. 

But there's opportunity in disruption, and for brands and businesses that prioritize authenticity, transparency, and emerging GTM tactics, the prospects for growth have never been greater.

As a marketer with 15+ years' experience at innovation-led SaaS, enterprise data, and marketplace companies, I have a deep understanding of growth foundations.

But best practices are rapidly evolving.

Quarterly campaigns are transforming into always-on growth systems. Manipulation is being replaced by information. Paid media is giving way to intelligent distribution. Site-hopping is evolving into zero-click purchases. Unique datasets are now critical company assets. In-person experiences that build trust are more vital than ever.

If you would like to explore the AI-forward approach to marketing in more detail,  please get in touch.

Let's connect

Data-Centric Approach

 The native language of AI is data, and unique datasets are now an essential asset for any company. My approach to marketing reflects this by building a marketing database in Airtable that becomes the single source of truth for customer, partner, and product information.

Credentials & Volunteering

Certified Chartered Marketer emblem
Canadian Marketing Association Logo

Certified Chartered Marketer, Canadian Marketing Association

Member, National AI Committee, Canadian Marketing Association

Ask AI Nonprofit logo
Digital Governance Standards Institute logo

Founder and Volunteer Producer, Ask AI Nonprofit (est. 2016)

Co-author & Technical Committee Lead, Data Collaboration Standard

Short Videos: AI Marketing

AI Marketing Blog Posts

2

Chris McLellan: Career Snapshot

01

Chris McLellan - Consultant

Marketing consultant working with startups and small and medium sized B2B companies on marketing foundations and growth projects.

02

Cinchy - Marketing Director

Founding marketer at pioneering enterprise data startup based in Toronto. Lead product marketing, demand gen, and community development. Backed by Mars Ventures and Techstars. Customers included TD and RBC.

03

Ask AI Podcast - Founder / Head of Content

Founded Ask AI nonprofit in 2016 to showcase innovation and support everyday professionals as they navigate increased AI adoption. I continue to volunteer as content producer.

04

Lyft - Canada Launch Manager (Contract)

Launch marketer (contract) responsible for all driver recruitment, passenger recruitment, and key partnerships for Toronto/GTA launch of the major rideshare service.

05

VarageSale - Head of Launch Marketing

Founding marketer at B2C mobile marketplace. Delivered 25+ community launches and managed team of 8. Backed by Sequoia, Lightspeed, and Real Ventures.

06

Hailo - Head of Marketing

Founding marketer responsible for flagship launch (London, UK) plus 8 major city launches in North America. Backed by Sir Richard Branson and Accel Partners.

Recent Articles & Appearances

POV: Canada, AI, & The Case For a National Trust Layer

Presentation to the CDO Council of Canada, February 4, 2026

Why I'm a data-centric marketer (and why it matters more than ever in the age of AI)

Canadian Marketing Association, July 09, 2025

Chris McLellan on Human-AI Collaboration: Smarter Marketing for SMEs

Small Business Podcast, December 16, 2025

How Data Collaboration Can Support A National Trust Layer To Accelerate Responsible AI

Digital Governance Council, October 29, 2025

For editorial, podcast, and appearances please email: hello@chrismclellan.me

Marketing Deliverables For Innovation-Led Companies 

As an experienced marketer of cutting-edge technology, I am capable of setting up full marketing functions, executing product launches, and delivering creative growth programs.

Core Product Marketing

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  • Customer interviews

  • Product team interviews

  • Positioning and category

  • Differentiation

  • Value props

  • Customer personas

  • Value props​

  • Pricing review

Product Launches

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  • Product taxonomy

  • Go-To-Market playbook

  • Web pages

  • Product assets

  • Pricing reviews

  • Press releases

  • Sales tools, training, and collateral

  • Campaign management

Marketing Foundations​

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  • Website

  • Marketing Plan + channel mix

  • Marketing forecast & budget

  • CRM setup with custom model

  • CRM sequences and workflows

  • Marketing dashboard

  • Pricing review

​Demand Generation

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  • Event marketing

  • Content marketing

  • List building & cold outreach

  • Partner marketing

  • Community marketing

  • Distribution & 3rd party integrations

  • Growth-centric web apps

  • Product-led growth & growth loops

  • AI optimization

  • Digital PR

How We Can Work Together

Project-Based*

Ideal for businesses looking to implement a specific growth deliverable. Best for: Product launches, lead magnet apps, major events, CRM setup.

Part Time*

Suited for businesses looking to create and run always-on marketing programs. 

Best for: Content marketing, partner marketing, AI optimization.

Full Time

Best for companies ready to scale up their marketing function with a full-time position. Best for: Building AI-forward growth programs, teams, and operations.

*Open to contract work as an entry point for full time positions.

Sample Work Portfolio

I approach AI marketing from a foundation of hard-earned skills gained by launching cutting-edge companies across 3 continents. Best viewed on desktop👍

Chris McLellan marketing portfolio
Chris McLellan marketing portfolio
Chris McLellan marketing portfolio Cinchy
Chris McLellan marketing portfolio Hailo
Chris McLellan marketing portfolio Lyft
Chris McLellan marketing portfolio VarageSale

Book
Discovery Call

Let’s take 30 minutes to talk through your business and marketing goals and see if we’re a fit.

Connect on LinkedIn

Connect with me on LinkedIn to explore our mutual business contacts and affiliations and share business insights.

Use Contact Form

Something else? Feel free to use my Contact Form to submit your business enquiry.

Recommendations

Tim Houghton

Operations Director, OpenDoor

"Chris is a forward thinker who builds genuine relationships and creates opportunities for growth."
[I reported to Tim, the Country Manager, while spearheading the Canadian market launch of Lyft, the SF-based rideshare operator and Uber rival]

Andrew Sider

EVP Global Festivals, Ticketmaster

“Chris connects big picture strategy with hands-on execution in a data driven environment."
[I reported to Andrew, the CEO, while heading the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]

Dan Demers

Data & AI Pioneer

“Chris brings a whatever it takes mindset, adapting quickly and driving success through any challenge.”
[I reported to Dan, the CEO, while employed as founding marketer and subsequently Product Marketing Manager at Cinchy, the enterprise Data Collaboration Platform]

Bobby Hennessy

Head of ads, Pinterest Canada

"Chris dreams big. He looks for large scale opportunities and turns them into bite-size tasks and does an excellent job being hands-on and getting his team excited about executing."
[Bobby and I were colleagues while I was heading up Launch Marketing at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel]

Yousef Reyyes

Director Growth Marketing, Clutch

"I got the privilege of seeing Chris take the City Launch team from an ambitious idea to a fast-moving, data-driven marketing and business development SWAT team."
[I managed Yousef while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]

David Scharbach

Founder, Toronto Machine Learning Society

"Chris is an invaluable leader in the Canadian AI ecosystem working tirelessly to represent Canadian research and innovation in the various fields of AI. "
[I collaborated with Dave while volunteering as Founder at the Ask AI nonprofit which has been actively producing content since 2017}

Tammy Exner

Sr. Product Marketing, Acumatica 

"Chris is passionate about tech and the responsible application of it, and has many great ideas on how to leverage quality content, AR, and PR for brand building and community engagement."
[Tammy and I were colleagues while I was Marketing Director at Cinchy, the pioneering Data Collaboration Platform for the enterprise]

Celina Zamora

Sr. Community Mngr, ServiceNow

"I can attribute my overall confidence in being able to tackle various marketing tactics and solutions to Chris. He really valued our team and was genuinely interested in our personal success."
[I managed Celina while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]

Rachel Lemkow

Marketing Director, Honk

"Chris ensured all team members were fully equipped to succeed, provided guidance when necessary, but otherwise let his team run with their own projects.  He's data and metrics driven and instilled the same mentality in the team."
[I managed Rachel while heading up the Launch Marketing team at VaragSale, the Toronto-based secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia and Accel Partners]

AI Marketing Stack

I use a variety of tools, but the guiding principle is simplicity. The trend is towards connecting unique company datasets directly to the increased capabilities of foundational AI models. For example, Claude Design replacing Canva. This is a long list for reference only.

Large Language Models

Claude logo

 LLMs are the foundational AI marketing tech used to generate descriptions, update workflows, and answer questions.

AI Research Assistants

NotebookLM logo

Tools like NotebookLM and Claude support planning and execution of strategies, campaigns, and growth programs.

AI Data Enrichement

Clay logo

Tools like Clay can be used to automate list building and lead scoring to power email engines and AI CRM platforms.

AI Custom Workflows

Gumloop logo

Agent-builder platforms like Gumloop and Google Workspace create multi-step, multi-app automations. 

AI Databases

AirTable logo

Database platforms like AirTable are key to build marketing knowledge bases that power growth solutions.

AI Notetakers

Fellow logo

Tools like Fellow, Granola, and Google Meet capture video and transcripts that provide raw material for multiple outcomes.

AI Email Platforms

Apollo logo

Email platforms like Apollo create a key component for the creation of growth automations.

Web Frameworks

Angular logo

Web frameworks like React and Angular plug into knowledge bases and AI tools to auto-generate pages.

AI CRMs

Attio CRM logo

Modern CRM platforms like Attio enable customized objects, attributes, email sequences and workflows.

AI Video Editors

Descript logo

Short video is an increasingly crucial format. Tools like Descript and Opus help generate Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts.

AI Support Agents

Voiceflow logo

Tools like Voiceflow optimize site conversions and 24/7 multilingual 1st line support.

Reporting & Analytics

Google data studio logo

Free analytical tools like GA4,  and Google Data Studio build dashboards for making decisions informed by data.

Chris McLellan Professional Bio

Chris McLellan is an AI-forward marketing professional with 15+ years' experience helping startups and scaleups grow. He has delivered 50+ launch campaigns for companies backed by Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Sir Richard Branson. He saw AI coming early. In 2016 he founded Ask AI, a Canadian nonprofit dedicated to artificial intelligence and the future of work, building one of the country's earliest communities around the topic before it was mainstream. He is a co-author and Technical Committee Lead of the Data Collaboration Framework, an open standard published by Canada's Digital Governance Standards Institute and the International Standards Organization. He also serves on the national AI Committee at the Canadian Marketing Association. Chris holds the Chartered Marketer designation and specializes in AI optimization, marketing databases, content engines, growth programs, and event marketing for tech and innovation businesses. On many weekends you will find him with hands in the dirt at Plum Hollow Farms, a regenerative agriculture project in Eastern Ontario.

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