Stefan Hawes

Stefan Hawes is Vice President, Global Marketing at Destination Vancouver, where he leads the city's destination brand, global marketing strategy, and digital visitor experience. Since joining the organization, he has guided the evolution of Vancouver's marketing programs following the pandemic, overseen a destination brand refresh, and advanced more data-driven, digitally enabled visitor engagement—contributing to Vancouver's strong tourism recovery and ongoing global relevance. Over a 25+ year career across Europe, Asia, and North America, Stefan has held senior leadership roles at leading digital and integrated agencies, including CEO/General Manager of Blast Radius Amsterdam, Managing Director of TBWAVancouver, President of Wasserman + Partners, and senior roles at AKQA Shanghai and DDB. He has led agency transformation and partnered with top creative teams on work for brands such as Nike, Nikon, Michelin, Procter & Gamble, Sony Pictures, and TELUS—work recognized at major international award shows including Cannes Lions and The One Show. He brings a pragmatic, agency-literate perspective on creative excellence, effectiveness, and sustainable growth.

What do you think the biggest challenges are currently facing the industry?

Fear. And a focus on the wrong metrics.