Darlene Duggan has over 30 years of experience in business planning, public relations and communications, sales and marketing, policy, government funding programs, international trade relations and strategic initiatives.  She is based in Canada and works with companies from all parts of the globe.

Darlene began her career working in communications, events and publicity. She graduated to sales, product development and licensed products for Brockum Canada, part of the BCL Entertainment Corp (Ballard Cohl Labatt and CPI – Concert Productions International) in Toronto. She then ran the marketing support and event department for a national insurance company, coordinating all aspects of a luxury sales reward cruise from Greece to Italy.

These roles helped contribute to her experience in selling abroad which later afforded the role as a multi-sector Trade Commissioner for the Government of Canada, Industry Canada/DFAIT in Halifax, now Global Affairs Canada. Here Darlene became a specialist in global trade initiatives, innovation, commercialization, company development, policy development, how to implement funding programs, government relations and government funding/loan programs.  

She was responsible for the

• professional services;
• environment, energy;
• value-added building products;
• consumer products;
• innovation;
• investment and regional economic development;
• women in business; and
• youth sectors.

She was the backup sector officer for

• ocean technology and
• advanced manufacturing.

Since leaving the federal government, her sector experience expanded to

• food and beverage;
• beauty products;
• technology;
• gaming;
• finance;
• culture;
• sports;
• tourism;
• transportation;
• cannabis business development;
• Indigenous research projects; and
• succession planning for companies.

Darlene is also an approved project reviewer and monitor for Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and advanced manufacturing, NGEN.  She has and has reviewed and commented on funding applications from companies across Canada.