The Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO) is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Board members, who officially joined the organization in January 2024. They bring a wealth of knowledge in the areas of communications and marketing, intergovernmental affairs, community and relationship building, strategic planning, and investment management. We are excited to welcome them to the team.
Catrin Owen
Catrin Owen is a consultant who specializes in facilitation, issues management and crisis communications. Most recently, she was the Deputy City Manager of Communications and Engagement at the City of Edmonton leading a team of over 400 communications professionals. Until 2018, she was the CEO of Calder Bateman Communications, and spent over two decades alongside the founding partners as they built the company into one of the biggest communications and marketing agencies in Alberta.
As a volunteer, Catrin has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Winspear Centre. She is Past-Chair of the Edmonton Arts Council, and former Board Director for Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build. She is a former trustee of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and a Past President and Director of the Citadel Theatre. She has been a member of the Professional Development Advisory Committee of the University of Albeta’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, a member of the University Relations Committee of the Board of Governors, as well as a member of the Business Advisory Council for the Alberta School of Business. Catrin was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office and has recently returned to the board. She also currently sits as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the United Way of Alberta Capital Region.
Catrin is a recipient of IABC’s Communicator of the Year Award, a Fellowship Award from the Advertising Club of Edmonton and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Christiana Manzocco
Christiana is the Director of Investments at Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) where she invests in venture capital funds to drive Alberta’s tech industry growth. Her notable contributions at AEC include leading the Start Alberta Deal Flow Platform, experience which she leveraged during her time in Lisbon and Amsterdam, as Dealroom.co’s Director of Government Marketing. A University of Calgary MBA alumna, Christiana was part of the inaugural CDL – Rockies cohort. She holds accreditation from UC Berkeley’s Venture Capital Executive Program and completed ILPA Institute courses accredited by the University of Chicago Booth.
Christiana’s career has spanned industries from financial services to fashion, chiefly as a management consultant on strategic planning, marketing strategies and international expansion projects. Christiana is a Director with the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) Board, as well as a VMS and Canadian Immigrant Women Society Mentor. Previously, Christiana was a member of the Hunter Hub Executive Team Advisory Committee, Group Leader within the C100 Fellows Selection Committee, and member of the VCAA Board and CVCA Invest Canada Planning Committee. With global experience in Amsterdam, London, Vienna, San Francisco, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Italy, and Lisbon, Christiana has cultivated an impressive international network.
Lazina McKenzie
Lazina Mckenzie is, first and foremost, a community builder. She’s also a leader of people, connector, innovator, relationship builder, and entrepreneurial.
Lazina leans into being an inclusive leader and understands the power of unlocking people’s gifts and strength to drive strategic, growth objectives forward in an organization. In her current role, she is on the leadership team for Yardly, a Canadian yard care business that is aimed at supporting people to maintain pride and care in their homes. Lazina spent 4 years as a leader of a MIT-based mentorship program, ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service at the University of Alberta, which is focused on supporting innovators and founders through their entrepreneurial journey. Lazina has started and run her own businesses in the personal development space as well as change management and strategy consultant; both of these experiences are based on her foundation in the management consulting industry, which is where she began her career.
Lazina is at her best when bringing people together. This is seen in her work co-creating The Other Box, a learning and development opportunity for teams to have a framework to have complex conversations to better understand oneself and the diverse perspectives of the world around us all. Lazina is a legacy co-leader of November Project Canada, a free, grassroots fitness community that started in Boston in 2012 and is in almost 60 cities globally. Lazina is honoured to hold a brand ambassador role with the global brand lululemon. In the past, she was on the 1000 Women A Million Possibilities Advisory Committee through NorQuest College and was a Board member with Suit Yourself, a non-profit organization supporting disadvantaged women in need of professional attire.
Lazina has been awarded Roy Group’s MacGregor Cup which recognizes individuals who display character, mastery, and leadership in the work they do and teams they touch. Lazina is a recipient of the 2023 Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership for Active Communities Award in the Group Spirit of Community Leadership.