Don Hewson

Board Member

Q: Why do you volunteer on the Board of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute?

A: On an altruistic level, I do it for the health and well-being of our community. On a “selfie” level, I am fascinated by the science and innovation. It’s truly amazing to watch brilliant ideas translated into life- and system-changing outcomes.

Don Hewson graduated with and Honours Degree in Geography from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. After graduating, he worked at two of Canada’s major advertising agencies, MacLaren and Bates, and one of Canada’s premier design firms, Burns & Cooper. His experience at Toronto agencies include positions in Account Management, Broadcast Production and Creative Departments. Don moved to Ottawa to join the Canadian Government Office of Tourist where he served two years before founding HBS Marketing. He is currently President and Senior Brand Strategist at HBS.

In addition to his administrative role at HBS, Don leads the Account Management team playing strategic and creative planning roles in communication and branding programs. Of note, he led the branding teams for the repositioning of Carleton University and the Sprott School of Business, the Ottawa Heart Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Medical Council of Canada (MCC), BORN Ontario, The Library of Parliament, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canada’s Chemical Producers, KaisenCare, Carefor, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and JSI Telecom. In managing these branding programs, Don has gained over 30 years of experience in working with multi-stakeholder organizations building internal consensus and external awareness while contributing to their long term success.

Don is also well known for his community involvement serving on numerous boards and committees. He is currently Chair of the Sprott School of Business Advisory Board, a Trustee on the board of CHEO (chairs the CHEO Advocacy Committee), a board member for two research institutes- the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and CHEO Research Institute. Don’s other interests include cross country skiing and restoration of heritage log buildings.