NATIONAL strengthens its Western Canada operations

The Firm announces the appointment of Lorèn Lailey-Irvine as managing partner of the Vancouver office and the addition of Mark Seland as senior vice president in Calgary

Martin Daraiche, president of NATIONAL Public Relations, is pleased to announce two new executive appointments that will strategically position the organization for growth in Western Canada.

The first is the permanent appointment of Lorèn Lailey-Irvine as managing partner of NATIONAL’s Vancouver office. Lailey-Irvine, who joined NATIONAL as managing partner of the Firm’s Calgary office in November 2019, took interim responsibility for the Vancouver office in June 2020, and will now oversee the Firm’s operations across Western Canada. This appointment solidifies her leadership in the region, providing an excellent opportunity to enhance the business’ growth across British Columbia and Alberta.

Born in New Westminster, B.C., Lorèn Lailey-Irvine has a strong understanding of both provincial markets, where she has lived and worked for most of her life. With past clients including Rick Hansen Foundation, Pacific Coast Terminals, UBC, Canadian Pacific Railway, B.C. Nurses’ Union, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and others, her career has focused on shaping public perceptions on national projects.

“Lorèn and the Calgary team have achieved significant growth and momentum in this challenging year,” said Martin Daraiche. “We are confident that she will continue to build on the strong foundations she has fostered in Vancouver and advance even greater progress and collaboration between our teams in B.C. and Alberta, as well as across the Firm’s global network.”

Supporting Lailey-Irvine and the Western Canada team will be Mark Seland, who joins the firm as senior vice-president in Calgary. With over 25 years of experience across various sectors, Seland is highly regarded as a trusted advisor on complex strategies and issues resolution to boards, CEOs, government and political leaders in Canada and the U.S. Most recently, Seland was president and CEO of ABRIO Health, an organization striving to reconfigure public policy and structures in community, healthcare and social services, and to develop the first international Blue Zones Project outside of the U.S. Prior to this, he spent 17 years with Canadian Pacific Railway, leading the corporate communications team in U.S./Canada government engagement, marketing and internal communications, media relations, and crisis and community management, including acting as the internal executive communications advisor throughout the 2011/12 proxy contest. He is an alumnus of Mount Royal University, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and regular lecturer on corporate culture, change management and extraordinary leadership.

“Mark brings significant operations and business acumen to the Firm and is able to add value to clients in highly visible, chaotic and rapidly changing environments,” said Lorèn Lailey-Irvine. “He will be a valued contributor to our Western Canada team, and further builds NATIONAL's service offering in corporate communications, crisis and issues management, labour and stakeholder relations, public affairs, advocacy, and healthcare.”

“I am honoured to be joining a Firm with such rich history, innovation, and deep roots in Canada,” said Mark Seland. “Many of the mentors and advisors throughout my career have been associated with NATIONAL. Our values and vision align perfectly.”