Andy Byj

Professor, Advertising and Marketing Communications

Andy is an Advertising and Marketing Communications Professor in the Pilon School of Business at Sheridan College where he teaches courses in Marketing, Advertising Research and Planning, Data Analysis, and Integrated Marketing Communications.  He is also a judge with the Canadian Marketing Association for the Canadian Advertising Awards.

Andy has over 19 years of advertising and marketing communications experience primarily in brand management in the consumer packaged goods industry.  During his career, Andy has managed multi-million-dollar marketing communication budgets as he held progressively more senior positions in the marketing departments at Colgate-Palmolive, Bacardi, and Petro-Canada.  While in the industry, Andy managed the creation, execution, and measurement of several hundred marketing communication programs.

Key highlights for Andy while working as a Brand Manager at Colgate-Palmolive included gaining international experience from the planning and execution of a major brand restage for Ajax Spray & Wipe and Nifti in the Australian market.  After his return to Canada, Andy initiated several new product development projects and executed a major brand relaunch for Palmolive dishwashing liquid.  These major initiatives included new product formulations, packaging, advertising, and consumer/trade promotional programs.

When acting as Group Brand Manager – Premium Spirits at Bacardi Canada, Andy was responsible for a brand team that managed the Flavoured Rum, Vodka, Scotch, Gin, and Liqueurs product categories.  In this capacity, Andy oversaw the launch of several new products and many brand restages.  His role also included representing the marketing department as a member of the Bacardi Acquisition Team in evaluating major global brands for possible acquisition that included Stolichnaya Vodka, Skyy Vodka, Chivas Regal Deluxe Scotch Whisky, Absolut Vodka, and Crown Royal Canadian Whisky.  Andy was a key member of the acquisition team for over 5 years and following the successful acquisition of Dewar’s Scotch Whisky and Bombay Sapphire Gin, he was responsible for integrating and relaunching these brands within the Bacardi Canada brand portfolio.  Andy actively served over a 2-year period on the On-premise Steering Team to achieve newly established corporate growth initiatives in the On-premise channel.   Andy also represented Bacardi Canada at several global conferences as a member of the Global Best Practises Marketing team to share insights to optimize brand performance in other markets.

Prior to joining Sheridan College, Andy was Category Manager – New Markets at Petro-Canada.  He was responsible for a brand team that managed Agricultural Spray Oils, Drilling and Fracking Fluids (Onshore and Offshore), Electric Transformer Fluids, Dust Suppressants, and Coatings (Paint and Staining Industries).  Some key achievements included the successful launch of several new products in Canada, United States, Europe, and South America.  Among these were PureSpray agricultural spray oils that established Petro-Canada as the #1 brand in Florida in the citrus industry. 

Andy holds a B.A. in Financial Studies from Western University, an MBA in Marketing from McMaster University, and completed a company sponsored 2 year Executive Training Program at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.