
Saeed Zaman, Toronto
Marketing that earns its budget.
I'm Saeed Zaman, a digital marketing leader with more than 15 years across paid media, measurement and traditional media. I've worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto and Dubai.
Available for fractional, project and advisory work. Fractional marketing director, paid media, analytics, AI for marketing teams and audits.
Where I've led.
2017 to now
Digital marketing consultant and fractional marketing director
I run paid media, fix measurement and hand brands and agencies a ranked list of what to fix first. Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and Reddit. GA4 and Tag Manager. SEO and website conversion. Fixed-fee audits and projects, or a monthly advisory retainer, across Canada and the United States.
2024 to 2025
VP, Global Head of Paid Media
Led global paid media for Samsung, Amazon, 7-Eleven, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Sandals. Built a B2B lead program on Google, LinkedIn and Meta that grew qualified leads from about 10 a month to 30 to 40.
2023 to 2024
Senior Manager, Digital Strategy
Digital lead across web, app, CRM, SEO, SEM and paid media, working with the U.S. team on North American initiatives.
2021 to 2022
SVP, Executive Director, Digital
Led Samsung and LinkedIn, plus Logitech, Micron and Cisco, across social and digital. Managed client budgets from $2MM to $15MM and up.
2018 to 2021
VP, Head of Digital Innovation and Integrated Media
Won and led STIHL, Aga Khan Museum, Pfizer and Algonquin Power and Utilities. Managed client budgets from $1MM to $10MM a year.
2014 to 2017
Senior Director, National Lead, Paid Media
Launched Edelman Canada's paid media practice and grew spend by over 500% and revenue by 200% to 300% in two years. Clients included Telus, Intuit, Symantec, AMD and Toronto Pearson Airport.
Associate Account Director and Associate Director
Media planning and buying for Bayer, Shell, Dairy Queen, London Life, SickKids Foundation and the University of Toronto.
2009 to 2011
Associate Vice President, Media Planning
Planned and bought regional media across the Middle East and North Africa, with budgets of $20MM and up, for brands including 3M, Peugeot and Thuraya.
Recommendations
What people say.
56 recommendations from colleagues, clients and teams I have led, as written on LinkedIn. Scroll sideways to read them.
Saeed is a leader who comes to every situation with clarity, poise, and most importantly, compassion. His knowledge and expertise in Paid Media is unmatched. Truly a pleasure to work with every time.
Robbie SlavinBusiness Development, Strategy and Negotiation in Influencer MarketingI was impressed by his ability to analyze and detail complex processes. His contribution was key to identify the main bottlenecks of an internal operating process. He demonstrated extensive knowledge of media planning and execution, and would be an asset to any company.
Henrique BarbosaApplied Data ScientistSaeed's proactive problem-solving approach and strong communication skills greatly contributed to the team's effectiveness.
Zonaid SalamProduct Owner and Business AnalystSaeed possesses a rare combination of strategic vision, technical expertise, and leadership skills that make him stand out in the field of digital marketing. His leadership style is characterized by clear communication, empathy, and a collaborative approach.
Anthony LucianoStrategic, Results-Driven Marketing LeaderHe anticipates potential issues, is proactive with his planning, and strategic in his thinking. He is a pleasure to work with.
Richard SteevesWriter, Editor, Community ManagerSaeed is an extremely bright communications leader. His grasp of digital as well as the traditional media landscape is very strong. He also cares genuinely for the growth and well being of his team mates.
Jessica O'CallaghanManaging Director, DEVRIES GLOBALSaeed comes with years of various agency experience (ad, PR, digital, etc) and isn't shy to bring ideas to the table. Tap into him and see what he can do for you!
Mitch DelaplaneFounder, Senior PrankSaeed is a compassionate leader. His insights in the digital and social media space is vast. He always put his team first and cared deeply about driving us to do the best work of our lives.
Anson LingDirector, Digital and Social, GolinHe was a great manager who was very invested in our success as a team and individually. In addition to being an impactful leader, he consistently brought creative ideas to the table with an eye for detail.
Carrie Ann Latimer SubletteSenior CopywriterHe was great at keeping our progress on track and coming up with new ideas to push our work to the next level. He's a great person to have on your side and on your team.
Annie ProctorSamsung account team, Golin and DeVries GlobalI consider myself fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with somebody as kind and passionate as Saeed. He takes a genuine interest in his teammates and colleagues, and puts their well-being first.
Mark WelshGlobal technology communicationsSaeed and I worked closely on the Samsung B2B account. He was an excellent leader, who created a unique bond with our team. He challenged me and supported my growth.
Brielle WheelerSenior Account ExecutiveHe is highly knowledgeable, creative and strategic in the areas of digital marketing, integrated paid media and brand activations. His no-nonsense, honest and results-focused approach built client confidence and trust, and helped us expand the business of many of our clients.
Maria AntonopoulosPR and Communications LeaderOur team could always count on his deep expertise to help solve a communications challenge. Always on pace with industry insights, coupled with his vast digital and paid media experience (across many sectors), Saeed is a true partner and expert.
Rachael CrowellSenior Vice President, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, Porter NovelliSaeed is a talented communicator who leads with conviction and works to better those around him. His insights are data-driven, creative, and human. Saeed is a value-add wherever he goes.
Peter WalpoleSocial Media Lead, InfobloxHe is incredibly authentic, understanding, and challenges those around him to develop their best work. I highly recommend Saeed as he brings a lot of value to any conversation, he is hardworking, determined, and optimistic.
Anara FlaxmanVice President, JPMorganChaseWith lots of creative ideas and a focus on collaboration, he's extremely appreciative and makes every team member's thoughts and contributions feel valuable.
Fletcher RoweSocial Media Manager, MTAI was amazed by his experience, creativity, and ideas. He's a strategic thinker who always strives for excellence and brings many strengths to his teams.
Michael MargiottaPR Pro leading Brand Communications StrategiesHe's a thoughtful, kind leader who looks out for his team, brings creative ideas forward, and isn't afraid to challenge norms when he sees an opportunity to do better.
Jenna GalbreathExecutive Vice President, Strategy, Insights and AnalyticsSaeed is a bold and creative leader who makes it a priority to help his team grow and create a positive work environment. He inspires those who work with him to do the same.
Ashley Jaspers MillasComms Insights and AnalyticsSaeed is a consummate professional who is strategic, smart, creative and dedicated to the success of clients. I highly recommend Saeed as he would bring immediate value to any organization.
Alexis HarrisonVeteran PR executiveA strategic thinker, he proactively brings new ideas to his clients and always provides an honest assessment, backed up by solid data. Saeed is a guy you want to keep on your account.
Reuben StainesB2B Marketing LeaderHe thinks outside the box and beyond the status quo to help grow digital audiences and increase engagement. With his help, we were able to surpass our goals and set new standards for our programs.
Shelley RossetterCorporate CommunicationsHe always provided timely, quality advice across a range of clients. He worked in a consultative and highly collaborative fashion, mostly around digital communications, and is one of the best in the business.
Strahan WallisFormer Clemenger Group CEOHe helped to elevate digital within PN, building our first organic and paid digital practice from the ground up. Saeed was invaluable to help our technology clients shift their mindsets to a digital first approach to measurement.
Jim BlackVice President, Technology, Porter NovelliSaeed is a problem solver. His command of the digital ecosystem, especially in delivering strategic paid solutions is impressive. A good man and a committed partner, Saeed is an asset to any organization.
Conroy BoxhillNorth American President, Porter NovelliHis expertise in web presence and digital branding was key to our complete brand review and improvement. He is a talented leader in media and digital transformation.
Brent BakerSenior Utility LeaderHad the pleasure of working with Saeed this year and I was very impressed! His work ethic is impeccable and his tenacity is rare. An awesome combo!
Jeff GoldenbergBrand Strategist and AuthorSaeed has a unique ability to see things in a different way. He is an outside-the-box thinker that is willing to explore the depths of wherever an idea might take him.
Nuala McKeeSenior Manager, Communications, Canadian Cancer SocietyHe's a smart and intelligent communications leader, he possesses divergent thinking and considers all the variables and his skills on the social/digital strategy side are bar none. We were very fortunate to have him on our team at Abacus and would work with him again in a second.
Peter ReitanoPartner, AcademyFrom day one he was able to take ownership of the situation and execute everything that needed to get done to get the project back on track. Saeed is extremely capable and more than that, he understands how to solve problems.
Ian MartinsZenith Canada LeaderHis expertise, knowledge and out-of-box thinking was instrumental in several successful marketing campaigns. Saeed has the ability to develop and implement strategic initiatives to drive results.
Puneet JainSenior Marketing Executive, CMOSaeed is a smart and strategic Digital Marketing leader. He earned my trust quickly and was a valuable agency partner. Saeed understands the importance of data driven decisions and continuous optimization.
Linda FerreiraDigital Marketing and Brand LeaderSaeed is an excellent champion of paid media within an organization, helping others to understand its power and agility to convert an initial idea into the quantitative results clients need. Saeed was able to generate fantastic media results on a variety of budgets.
Neil MohanIntegrating Technology and CreativityNo matter how complex the problem is, he will always come up with a brilliant, elegant, and cost-effective solution. Saeed provided outstanding results for Edelman.
Paul OrtchanianFounder, Bain PublicHe is dedicated, passionate, always approachable and ready to answer questions and is always on top of the new trends and developments in the industry.
Goli SamiiGroup Director, Client Lead, WPP MediaHe proved to be knowledgeable and genuinely interested in understanding the client's business. He went out of the way to help team members in need, and went above and beyond what was required.
Veronica GonzalesDirector, Media, WavemakerFrom the moment he arrived on the team, I was inspired by his take-charge attitude in getting things the right way, and fixing problems that many others before him simply could not.
Daniel LachapelleAd Sales ProfessionalHe truly understands the changing digital / social landscape and continually applied this knowledge to solve problems. He is a smart, creative, intelligent and highly insightful individual who lives and breathes his client's business.
Jordan BenedetDigital Media ProfessionalHis knowledge base in digital planning is strong. He is responsible, timely and excels at creating high impact plans when budgets are tight. He'll go the extra mile to ensure clients are happy.
Adrian MartinPerformance MarketingHe has been a constant advocate for improvement and progress. Saeed has been a pleasure to work with, and would be an asset to any agency.
Dan Iwasa-MadgeFounder, data/story incHe distinguished himself by consistently pushing clients to be more efficient with their advertising campaigns while also empowering them about online media. I'm very happy to recommend someone as confident, genuine, honest and kind as Saeed.
Justin CumbyEVP, Performance AccelerationHe was able to deliver insightful and valuable data when called upon and always worked to timely deadlines. We didn't miss a beat on the project as a result.
Ummit SethiSolving real world problems through communicationsWe found him to be immensely helpful, personable, on-time and responsive, as well as a genuine expert in the PPC and digital advertising in general. I'd recommend Saeed wholeheartedly to any client or employer.
Stephen WattMarketing, Communications, StrategySaeed provided us with excellent service under tight deadlines.
Joelle AllenAcademic and administrative leadershipHe managed the media plan development for the launch of the brand in Canada. He was also a fierce negotiator and continually stretched our media dollars to add more titles and impressions.
Carolyn ButlerFractional CMOHe responds immediately to our requests and questions and we receive a level of service and expertise second to none. His passion and knowledge for his work is evident in everything he does.
Lori AbbottSenior Marketing and Communications ExecutiveHe did the work of three people and he was well liked by people in the media department where he worked and by those of us in account service. It is impossible not to like Saeed and it is equally impossible not to respect his capabilities, dedication and ethics.
John SeligRetiredYou'll rarely see anyone bring a blend of such intense dedication, tenacity, and wisdom to a business challenge as Saeed did. His knowledge made him exceptionally fluent in execution.
Gera NevolovichFormer President, HotspexSaeed's self-motivation and high standards have served him well, allowing him to seek and find a better way to achieve his and his clients' goals.
Eric MirabelMarketing Communications ConsultantSaeed was a pleasure to work with. He has the ability to grasp the concept and goal of the client, and insure that those attributes stay at the core of a campaign.
Al SilverbergCEO for 25 yearsSaeed is not a conventional media planner. His creative bent distinguishes him from the herd. Saeed is a professional with very high integrity and will be an asset in any team, in any market.
Faheem AhamedGroup CMCO, G42Saeed is a quality individual with a great attention to detail and a knack for getting things done without direct supervision. He had fulfilled and exceeded all of the expectations requested of him.
Shawn GurnCertified Franchise ConsultantSaeed is very professional in our collaboration and very responsive and flexible to our requests.
Kyriaki HaniotouSales and Marketing Trainer and ConsultantWe worked with Saeed to develop our global marketing campaign covering 140 markets. I found Saeed to be diligent, creative and enthusiastic towards our brand.
Andrew PhillipsHealthcare Funding SpecialistSaeed is an exceptionally creative thinker, who is a champion for the clients he serves. His laser focused energy on meeting the client's objectives is a unique talent that is translatable into many different areas of business.
Nancy BentWorkplace refreshment servicesAs seen in
In the press.


Porter Novelli's Saeed Zaman Joins Golin To Lead Digital
Golin created a senior vice president role to lead digital, social, content and paid media, and named me to it.
Read the article

Golin appoints Saeed Zaman SVP of digital
Coverage of my appointment to lead digital for Golin, reporting into its global technology practice.
Read the article

EP51: Porter Novelli VP, Head of Digital Innovation & Integrated Media
My conversation on the Media People Podcast about digital, integrated media and where the work is heading.
Listen to the episode

ICYMI: Letterkenny to ring in St. Paddy’s, Instagram Live goes all-out in Canada
A Canadian industry news roundup that noted my move from Edelman.
Read the roundupTraditional and digital
Planned as one.
I came up through media planning and buying. I still plan television, radio, print and out of home alongside search, social and programmatic, so every dollar goes where it works.
Plan
One budget across every channel, set against the business goal instead of the channel's own story.
Buy
Negotiated with an understanding of what each channel really does and what it should cost.
Prove
Measured the same way across channels, so the comparison is fair and the next decision is easier.
Website checker
How findable is your website?
Get a scored read on search and answer-engine readiness, with a ranked list of what to fix first.
About a minute. Business email required.
What I do
Strategy, media
and measurement.
One senior person who has run all of it, so you don't have to coordinate three vendors.
Paid media
Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit and programmatic. Planned against the business goal and optimized against it every week.
Learn more 02Leadership and advisory
Interim and advisory leadership for marketing teams. Strategy, structure, hiring, and agency and vendor reviews.
Learn more 03Measurement
GA4, Tag Manager, consent-aware tracking and dashboards that executives read. Clean data, clear decisions.
Learn more 04- 1Fix tracking
- 2Cut wasted spend
- 3Scale what works
Fix Order audits
An audit of your ad accounts, website or social channels that ends in a ranked list of what to fix first.
Learn more 05AI-assisted marketing
Claude and Claude Cowork set up around your reporting, audits, research and creative workflows, so your team gets days back every month.
Learn more 06Traditional and integrated media
Television, radio, print and out of home planned alongside search, social and programmatic in one budget.
Learn moreQuestions
Questions I get asked.
What does a digital marketing consultant do?
I plan and run paid media, fix measurement, audit websites and ad accounts, and lead marketing teams for a quarter or a project. I hand you a ranked list of what to fix first and the plan to do it.
How much does it cost to hire you?
I price every engagement as a fixed fee after a 30-minute scoping call. Audits and projects are a set price. Advisory work is a monthly retainer.
Do you work with agencies?
Yes. I support agencies as a senior lead on paid media, measurement and new business, in Canada and the United States.
Can you set up Claude for my marketing team?
Yes. I set up Claude and Claude Cowork around your reporting, audits, research and creative workflows, with training and clear guardrails for your data.
Where are you based?
I am based in Toronto and work with brands and agencies across Canada and the United States.

My story
Five cities. One approach.
Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto and Dubai taught me how differently people respond to the same message. Plan around the audience, buy where they are, and measure what happened.
Read my storyLet's talk about your next project.
Projects, audits, advisory retainers and long-term partnerships. Scoped on a 30-minute call and priced as a fixed fee.






































