Richard Fofana

Richard is a marketing strategist and media leader with a passion for bringing new and provocative ideas to life. Richard’s focus is to help clients use media to build smart solutions that create advantage and impact.

Prior to leading Strategy at UM Canada, Richard has held various creative, digital, data analysis, product innovation, and media leadership roles, across agency and brand marketing worlds. A big believer in discovering insights up close, he’s led Gen Z shop-alongs, video streeters with teens, boardroom interviews with c-suite execs, home kitchen deep dives, and been kicked out of numerous grocery stores for taking too many photos in the frozen aisle. It’s from this unique vantage point that he has helped clients drive growth from CPG to retail, telecom to tech, QSR to not-for-profit.

Richard is in constant pursuit of more effective ways to connect brands and audiences in relevant moments across culture, ecommerce, and traditional and emerging platforms. He gets excited bringing together teams and capabilities to tackle challenges, uncover fresh perspectives, and generate ideas that fuel outsized growth for brands.

Richard regularly speaks at industry events, supports award show judging, mentors upcoming talent, and teaches advertising and media strategy, with stints at OCAD University, Schulich School of Business, Account Planning Group of Canada, Miami Ad School (RIP). He is also the chief dishwashing officer for his family of five.