Overview

Company Summary

Critical Mass is a team of 1500 inspired folks based in 12 offices around the world. We provide full-service digital capabilities for the greatest brands on Earth, but our secret sauce is our uncompromising design standards, our relentless focus on customers, and an ability to put powerful new technologies to work for our clients. We’re sought by brands who strive for connected digital ecosystems, and we help them get there by gaining deep insight into their consumer and orchestrating data, AI, design, media, and tech stacks around human stories. We’re a global agency founded in Canada, but digital is our home. If you know us, then you know we’re a special, quirky place that attracts big talent and tiny egos. (We actually give out a “so F-n nice” award—lots of them). But just because we’re friendly doesn’t mean we’re not a force to be reckoned with. We’re driven. Relentless. We live our values and hold ourselves to uncompromising design standards (which is probably why our clients stick with us for 7 years, on average). We’re also proud to be part of Omnicom, one of the largest holding companies for global advertising, marketing, digital, and communications services firms (serving more than 5,000 clients in over 100 countries). We’re Critical Mass, but our friends call us CM. Please call us CM!

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Staff

Total Number of Employees

Office Employees: 500+
Total US: 500+
Total Worldwide: 500+

Chris Gokiert
CEO
Chris is the CEO of Critical Mass, an award-winning digital marketing and experience design agency. Chris is the driving force behind the development of the agency’s capabilities and integrated client offerings, and leads the team to consistently innovate and advance Critical Mass’ strategic vision.

Since joining Critical Mass in 1998, he has been instrumental in the growth and success of the agency, expanding the team from just 35 people in one Calgary office to over 1,000 employees across 11 global offices. Chris leads key client relationships across continents, including the launch of major multidimensional initiatives for Nissan, INFINITI, adidas and AT&T.

Chris’ authenticity is what sets him apart, both with clients and in the industry. He wins new business and leads client accounts with honesty and realness – not salesmanship and fake swagger. Whether he’s in a pitch meeting, the boardroom, or spending a late night in the trenches, he is constantly encouraging his team to push the boundaries of innovation and achieve their full potential.

Prior to his role as CEO, Chris served as President of Critical Mass for over a decade. Under his strategic leadership and dedication to excellent client service, Critical Mass has been recognized as an A-List Agency, Best Engagement Agency, Top UX Design Agency, Best Agency to Work For, Employer of the Year, and Best Place to Work. Chris himself was voted Influencer of the Year at the prestigious Creativepool Annual. Industry comments and POVs from Chris have been published in The Washington Post, Adweek, Campaign, creativebrief and more.

When not traveling from office to office, Chris resides in Calgary with his three girls, wife and two dogs – enjoying all the Canadian Rockies have to offer. Fun fact about Chris, he holds a master’s degree in Classical Archaeology.

Val Carlson
Chief Creative Officer
Val is the Global Chief Creative Officer for Critical Mass.

She’s an avid storyteller with over 20 years of creative experience. She has worked across many disciplines ranging from design, product, AR/VR, film, brand strategy, marketing, retail innovation, gaming, and applications for some of the world’s biggest brands like FOX Entertainment, JP Morgan Chase, Coke, Microsoft, AT&T, Honda, Kraft, Treasury Wine Estates, Lululemon, to name a few.

Prior to joining CM, Val was the ECD for Wunderman Thompson California, where she focused on digital transformation and loyalty experiences. Prior to that, she was the Global VP Creative at Method Products (People Against Dirty), where she led global creative and innovation for Method and Ecover brands. Before that, she was the Executive Creative Director at EVB, leading work for the NBA, Facebook, Twitter, and Mamba Candy. Val was also Executive Creative Director, Global Innovation Lead at SapientNitro, where she led the AVATAR digital ecosystem for James Cameron’s Lightstorm. Earlier in her career, Val held several top creative positions at Razorfish.

Val taught college level graphic design at an engineering school for seven years before jumping into digital in 2000. It is her love for teaching that has helped her mentor and lead in an industry where it is hard for women to succeed. She is also an advocate for women’s diversity and junior talent programs, leading them at several agencies over the years.

She has a huge passion for ecosystem connections, interface layer personalization and the evolution of e-commerce. TWITCH, Minecraft, and old school games fascinate her and she believes mixed reality, streaming and experiential models can unlock solutions to business problems in ways that traditional marketers haven’t tapped into yet.

She holds a Bachelor of Science from Bradley University.

Grant Owens
Chief Strategy Officer
Grant is the Chief Strategy Officer at Critical Mass. His role at the agency is to lead strategy teams across the globe to ensure the agency is relentlessly focused on designing meaningful experiences that improve customers’ lives. Grant has a track record of building strong teams that deliver best in class, strategically driven work.

Prior to joining CM, Grant was with Razorfish for more than 10 years. Most recently as GVP Head of Planning, he was responsible for digital strategy for clients such as Spotify, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Viacom, CBS Radio, BMW and CNN. Grant also spent four years working in planning at Euro RSCG 4D. Grant also serves as Adjunct Professor at New York University, where he has taught for more than two years. He graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a B.A.

John McLaughlin
Chief Operations Officer
As Chief Operations Officer, John is charged with overseeing the efficiency of the Agency’s process and quality of its work product. Since joining Critical Mass in 1999, he has progressed through several roles in the organization. Through his experience leading individual projects, large-scale client teams and entire offices, John has developed a great understanding of the challenges facing complex organizations and enjoys identifying and capitalizing on opportunities for improvement. With a Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing from Northwestern University, John believes in the power of data and analytics to drive business and organizational decisions. He also holds a degree in journalism with a concentration in advertising and business administration from Ohio University. His free time is occupied by baseball, cheesy science fiction novels and chronicling the adventures of his son.

Sara Anhorn
Chief Talent Officer
Sara has nearly 20 years of experience in digital marketing, project management and people development on both national and international scales. As the Chief Talent Officer, Sara oversees human resources, talent acquisition, learning and development and internal communications. She and her team are responsible for crafting, preserving, and enhancing the employee experience that upholds Critical Mass’ culture, values, and good intentions. She was named Digiday’s 2020 HR Leader of the Year in the Worklife Awards.

Sara has an employee-first mentality with the belief that inspired talent leads to successful work, satisfied clients and strong business results. With almost 20 years of experience at the agency in various capacities and geographies, Sara strives to bring people together and get the most out of her teams. Prior to this role, Sara served as EVP, Talent and before that as VP Project Management and VP, Global Business Operations where she established and maintained global operational standards for an array of CM clients, including Nissan, Infiniti, Citibank, and BMW. Her digital capabilities include large-scale e-Commerce projects, content management systems, integrated marketing campaigns, prototype and usability testing.

Sara recently relocated back to Canada and is enjoying rediscovering the Rockies with her family.

Lee Tamkee
Chief Financial Officer
With over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurial, start up, turnaround and corporate environments, Lee is well-equipped to lead Critical Mass’s pursuit of operational excellence. In addition to leading the Finance and Support Services group at Critical Mass, Lee collaborates with the Leadership team to ensure that employees have access to the best resources, the best facilities and an inspiring environment to work in. He champions Critical Mass’s cause for profitable growth and operational success—all while never failing to appreciate the importance of having fun. Prior to Critical Mass, Lee was an integral member of the executive teams at both Bell and Rogers Wireless in Western Canada, which included the launch of Bell Canada’s expansion into Western Canada. While he is not quick to tell you, Lee is an accomplished athlete, having represented Canada in many international competitions as a member of the National Field Hockey team. The inherent drive for success, commitment to excellence and passion for teamwork has followed Lee into his role with Critical Mass.

Dianne Wilkins
Chair
In her 23 years with Critical Mass, Di has held many influential positions—managing director, coach, entrepreneur, and leader for teams and clients. During her tenure, Critical Mass and its affiliate organizations have grown from 25 people in Canada to 950 employees working in numerous locations around the globe. The vision and values that define her leadership have likewise propelled Critical Mass to continued and consistent success. Today, Critical Mass is widely recognized for its breadth and depth of services, its vibrant agency culture, its purpose-driven mindset, and its unwavering commitment to client service.

Under Di’s leadership Critical Mass has been recognized across the industry as an A-List Agency, Best Engagement Agency, Top UX Design Agency, Best Agency to Work For, and Employer of the Year. Di herself was recently included among Campaign’s 40 Over 40 list and named Top Boss in the Digiday Worklife Awards. Industry comments and POVs from Di have been published in The New York Times, Forbes, Ad Age, Adweek, The Drum, and Campaign, and she's been interviewed on a number of podcasts, including Real Famous, A Call to Action, and Fearless Creative Leaders

Di is also currently Chair of the Board at Fast & Female, a charity whose mission is to empower girls by keeping them in sports. She is also a past board member at the House of Anansi Press and currently works with a number of startups as both a strategic advisor and investor. In addition, Di is the co-founder and Managing Partner of a private activist investor fund that has set out to prove that public companies with a female CEO are inherently more diverse and achieve stronger financial performance as a result.

Diane Heun
EVP, Business Development
Diane Heun is a seasoned business development professional with a strong focus on the digital space. For over 20 years, she's been a key driver of growth at Critical Mass, whose client list includes Apple, BMW US, Diageo, Nissan, J&J, Peloton, BNY Mellon, and more. Di's track record of success spans financial services, automotive, healthcare, consumer goods, travel, retail, and luxury. She believes that CM's core capabilities (brand, experience design, technology, and digital innovation) can provide powerful solutions to today's toughest business, brand, and customer challenges—and she backs that belief with a proven ability to relate the agency's values and approach to the needs of global brands and the complex ecosystems they live within.

Ara Kurnit
Chief Innovation Officer
As the Chief Innovation Officer at Critical Mass, Ara drives global innovation efforts for clients such as Mars Wrigley, Apple, BMW, and Diageo. Combining her unparalleled expertise in media, technology, and publishing with a profound understanding of global innovation strategy, Ara creates opportunities for client growth. Ara is a passionate consumer and student of the world, analyzing everything - from people to products. She has strong human intuition, which makes her particularly great at working with both colleagues and clients. Prior to joining Critical Mass, Ara spent five years at the New York Times, leading diverse teams in areas such as Product Innovation and Customer Research, crafting groundbreaking strategies and content for clients. With over 13 years of experience as an innovation consultant, Ara commenced her career at Ogilvy & Mather. 

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Clients and Brands

Client & Brands	Start Date
Nissan Motor Co. Nissan Motor Co.	01-01-2010
1-800 Flowers 1-800 Flowers	01-01-2022
Diageo Diageo	01-01-2021
BNY Mellon BNY Mellon	01-01-2019
Apple Apple	01-01-2015
AirBnb AirBnb	01-01-2020
BMW USA BMW USA	01-01-2016
Hilton Hilton	01-01-2022
AT&T AT&T	01-01-2009
Nike Nike	05-24-2000
Mars Wrigley Mars Wrigley	01-01-2002
Delta Faucet Delta Faucet	01-01-2023
U.S. Army U.S. Army	01-01-2018
DePaul University DePaul University	01-01-2018
Harley Davidson Harley Davidson	01-01-2015
Ethicon Johnson & Johnson	01-01-2020

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Billings & Revenue

Billing / Revenue Ranges	Number of Clients

Total Gross Media Placed by this Office
Under $50 Million

Allocation Percent of Media Placed by this Office
Local Broadcast: 1%
National Broadcast: 1%
Digital: 87%
Print: 1%
Out of Home: 10%

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Types of Services

Service Offering	Revenue
Design	25
Digital/Interactive | Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring	20
Digital/Interactive | E-Commerce Solutions	10
Digital/Interactive | Blogging Discussion Forums, Community Building	10
Marketing Data Analytics	10
Digital/Interactive | Mobile and Wireless	10
Digital/Interactive | Search Engine Marketing	5
Media Planning	5
Media Buying	5
Business-to-Business	0
Direct Marketing	0
Sports Marketing	0
Health Care	0
Social Media	0

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Industry Experience

Travel | automobile rental
Technology | .com business
Financial services | credit cards
Industrial, Manufacturing & chemicals
Healthcare | pharmaceutical
Healthcare | Hospitals, Healthcare Facilities, Medical Services
Financial services | investments
Food & Beverage | soft drinks
Government | military & defense
Professional Services (accountants, consultants, lawyers)
Home Products | housewares
Technology | consumer electronics
Consumer Services
Restaurants
Healthcare | direct to consumer (DTC)
Technology | communications
Appliances
Travel | vacation home rentals
Entertainment & Culture | amusement parks
Apparel & Fashion | jewelry & accessories
Aerospace
Recreation & Sports | toys & games
Real Estate | buildings & construction
Recreation & Sports | sporting goods
Travel | hotels & resorts
Apparel & Fashion | apparel
Apparel & Fashion | footwear
Automotive | vehicles
Gambling | lotteries
Business Services & office products
Travel | tourism
Healthcare | managed care
Food & Beverage | food
Luxury & Imported products
Home Products | home furnishings
Automotive | aftermarket
Telecommunications
Technology | electronics
Cosmetics, perfumes & toiletries
Healthcare | medical products
Social Media
Household Supplies
Recreation & Sports | hobbies
Technology | metaverse
Financial services | Banking - Consumer
Home Products | Home Improvements (hardware, paint, plumbing, gardening)
Philanthropy
Education
Non-profit, associations & public services
Food & Beverage | pet food
Technology | computer hardware & software
Food & Beverage | alcoholic beverages
Tobacco
Retail

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