A Masterclass in Government Relations and Retail

Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.

Rob Moore has been on all four sides of the table.

With decades of retail, political, communications and agency experience in his back pocket, Rob brings a unique perspective to the table as a Partner at the one of Canada’s top public affairs agencies, Crestview Strategy.

From public policy to public opinion, get an insider look at modern government relations and how it impacts retailers. Learn about the changes that this line of work has undergone within the past few decades and what Rob has to say about digital campaigning and public opinion in government relations tradecraft today.

Rob gives us his top three best pieces of advice for better understanding the political environment as it pertains to retail, and stick around for is hot take on Jagmeet Singh’s TikTok account (and other thoughts on our current and impending political climate - including the pending federal election call).

Rob Moore

Rob has over 20 years of experience in politics, corporate communications, public affairs and business strategy, a career that has included leadership roles in both the private and public sector.  Rob brings this unique perspective from both the commercial and political worlds to build on Crestview’s successful government relations practice.

Rob joins Crestview after recently managing the largest division of a multi-national public relations agency.  As an independent consultant Rob has provided corporate reputation, issues management and public affairs advice to clients in numerous and varied industries and markets.  He has been the lead executive with responsibility for brand reputation, strategic planning, investor relations and regulatory affairs for some of Canada’s largest companies including Hudson’s Bay Company, Loblaws, and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

And prior to these corporate officer roles, Rob was the Director of Public Affairs, Canada, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide; Director of Communications and Press Secretary for the Mayor of the City of Toronto; Principal at the communications firm, Perkins Moore Associates; and a senior political aide to a Federal Member of Parliament.

Rob has been a leader in the global corporate social responsibility and sustainability community.  Serving on the Board of Directors of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility since 2005.  Including acting as Interim President  & CEO and now is the Board Chair.

Rob serves as an advisory Board, Committee Member and Board Director to numerous community and not-for-profit organizations including Canadian Business for Social Responsibility; Canadian Journalism Foundation; Community Living Ontario; Evergreen Foundation; and the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

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I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat  follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!

Until next time, stay safe and have a great week!

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. 

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google.  He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.  If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.