It’s been 30 years since Loretta Lam immigrated to Canada, but those newcomer experiences and her world travels since continue to inspire her ground-breaking achievements as an entrepreneur and thought-leader in communication and diversity strategies.

Loretta is the founder and chief strategist of Focus Communications Inc., established in 1994 to help client corporations in North America and Asia effectively connect with their ethnic target audiences. She built her business on two decades of professional experience that included management and consultant roles at leading multinational firms Hill & Knowlton Canada and Ogilvy Asia, and leadership of the Chinese Canadian Advertising Marketing Media Association, where she was the first to convince the mainstream industry associations, media and corporate marketers about the burgeoning potential of diversity marketing, and instigated the first annual multicultural marketing report and awards event.

As a member of the York University Board of Governors and its External Relations Committee, Loretta is applying her deep insights and perspective to help York strengthen its brand and to ensure communications resonates with diverse stakeholders.

She is an active mentor of youth and immigrants, and an in-demand speaker and writer on topics including multicultural marketing, public relations, branding, career-building and entrepreneurship. Loretta is past president and founding director of the Multicultural Marketing Alliance Canada; a senior advisor to the North American Association of Asian Professionals; and honorary advisor to the Taiwan Entrepreneur Society Taipei Toronto. In 2018, she founded ParentConnect, a not-for-profit that is connecting new and immigrant parents to knowledge, experts and resources on positive parenting.

Loretta has been formally recognized by Marketing Magazine, the International Association of Business Communicators Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.