Nominate a Fellowship Award

Rob Jennings – Fellowship Award Recipient for the 46th Annual ACE Awards, celebrated on March 29, 2025.

Since beginning his career, Rob has always dedicated himself to being both a student of, and leader in, the marketing community. In 2008, Rob founded Starburst Creative, a marketing communications agency that has grown to become the FKA of today—an agency of 38 people, producing award-winning work for both national and local clients and buying millions of dollars worth of media on their behalf. Through that growth, Rob has held true to a number of principles that have made our community a better place.

First, Rob has always placed an incredible importance on growing the next generation of marketing leaders. He spent a dozen years as a member of the NAIT Marketing Program Advisory Committee which advises the school on its marketing curriculum and served on the Advisory Industry Panel for NAIT’s Promotional Campaign Planning class which offers young marketers the chance to learn and grow directly from industry professionals. In addition to this
sweat equity, Rob created two scholarships to support young creative and research students at NAIT.

Rob also deeply believes in ‘walking the talk’ when it comes to the advertising industry, and recognized that the industry wasn’t doing enough to include more diverse voices and perspectives in its work. So he took action. Rob created the FKA Indigenous Award in Business at the University of Alberta and partnered with pipikwan pêhtâkwan to launch a Indigenous-focused design bursary at MacEwan University. He also led FKA in reshaping its hiring and vendor selection practices, and because of Rob’s efforts people who never saw themselves in advertising are finding a home in our community.

And lastly, Rob continues to be an intensely curious marketing leader who embraces change and is never afraid to meet every challenge with an entrepreneurial spirit. FKA’s exponential growth is due in no small part to Rob’s very early adoption of digital marketing, back when most other agencies were still calling it a fad. Rob is incredibly deserving of this Fellowship Award because its vision so closely aligns with his own: if you do things right, do them with good taste and treat people fairly, you’ll succeed.

Past Recipients

2023 – Teresa Sturgess
2022 – Carolyn Patton
2021 – Catrin Owen

2020 – Howard Poon
2019 – Sonia Piano
2018 – Jeff McLean
2017 – Missy Geffen
2016 – Helene Leggatt
2015 – Bev Holoboff
2014 – Ryan Kelly
2013 – Joyce Byrne
2012 – Kathy Watts
2011 – Hans Dys

2010 – Craig Roskin
2009 – Gord Deeks
2008 – Shelley Britton
2007 – Anita McGillis
2006 – Randy Cronin
2005 – Maureen McCaw
2004 – Alan Mabee
2003 – Ruth Kelly
2002 – Margaret Kool
2001 – Frank Calder

2000 – Donna James
1999 – Michael Hamm
1998 – Val Jenkins
1997 – Kathy Shapka
1996 – Al Anderson
1995 – Lesley Howard-Stafford
1994 – Warren Holte
1993 – Darryl Hooke
1992 – Heather Grue
1991 – Bud Hoffman

1990 – Don Smith
1989 – Bob Deakin
1988 – Marianne Takach
1987 – Derek Coke-Kerr
1986 – Jim Ford
1985 – Lew Roskin
1984 – Wally West
1983 – Gordon Lloyd
1982 – Scottie Schultz
1981 – Dr. G.R.A. Rice
1980 – Doris Urch
1979 – Maxine Kerr