Owner
CurrentIn 2023 Rita Smith celebrates 38 years as a Communications professional.She has an extensive background in successful Communications planning and execution, designing and implementing effective campaigns for business and government since 1985.Working front and centre through intense, high-pressure events including proactive introductions, launches, and mergers as well as managing reaction to strikes, protests, evacuations and quarantines, Rita has years of on-the-ground, real-life communications experience with staff, management and media.In 2004, Rita Smith became licensed as a certified Dale Carnegie Course® instructor and coach. Long an adherent and promoter of Carnegie principles and training, Rita is a team member of Dale Carnegie Business Group in Canada. She is now also certified to deliver Carnegie's very highly regarded High Impact Presentations program. From 2006-08 Rita served as the Director of Communications to Canada’s Minister of Health Tony Clement. In that capacity she managed numerous significant rollouts including that of Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan and Canada’s New Food Guide. As a result of the research conducted under the Chemicals Management Plan, Health Canada decided to ban the use of Bisphenol A in products used by babies, which led to one of the most high-profile scientific announcements in Canada’s history. Rita was also responsible for stakeholder management and public communications at the introduction of Canada’s new Consumer Product Safety legislation, which revised and updated product safety regulations for the first time in half of a century. Rita is trained in the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Strategic Risk Communications Framework, and completed the University of Alberta’s Science Communications program at the Banff Centre in 2009.
