Broadbent Fellow

Bob Penner is the President and CEO of Strategic Communications, Inc (Stratcom) which he founded in 1991. From a one-person business, Stratcom has grown to a full-time staff of 50 and part-time staff of 200, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and London, England. Stratcom has been an industry leader in campaign and advocacy campaigning, political polling, engagement and targeting strategies, and large-scale donor-based fundraising programs.

In addition to managing Stratcom, Bob works as a consultant in most practice areas. He has been a pollster and strategist for numerous elections and public interest advocacy campaigns, including for Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. He works on accounts with the British Labour Party, Canadian Labour Congress, the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, and many of Canada’s leading environmental organizations.

Prior to founding Stratcom, Bob was a peace and environmental activist. He was the Development Director of Greenpeace Canada, and founding Coordinator of the Canadian Peace Alliance, where he played a prominent role in the national peace movement campaigns of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Originally from Toronto, Bob now lives in Vancouver with his partner, writer Shaena Lambert, and their two children. Bob works regularly in each of Stratcom’s four offices. You can follow Bob’s commentary on his personal blog at bobpenner.com .