David “Laz” Lazarenko

David “Laz” Lazarenko has spent more than 20 years leading strategy and marketing efforts in agri-business. As Partner and Executive Vice President at Think Shift, he has led successful brand and product launches, re-branding and brand alignment initiatives, sales campaigns, and corporate responsibility initiatives for some of agriculture’s most successful corporations, including Adama, Bayer, Cargill, Corteva and Trimble.

This experience includes strategic planning, branding and campaign development for grower groups, line companies, agri-retail, agri-food, seed, chemistry and equipment companies. Outside of agriculture, David has led strategy for organizations in finance, education, construction, transportation and various other industries.

David’s commitment to agriculture and thought leadership in marketing was recognized with his award as the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association’s 2018 Agri-Marketer of the Year.

 

Message as Cambassador
As a prairie boy born and raised in Winnipeg, it was inevitable that I would find my way to agriculture at some point in my life. Thankfully it happened sooner and in a more impactful manner than I could have imagined.

Having started my career through the world of advertising some 25 years ago, my first assignment was a client named Cargill (which I could barely pronounce at the time). A global agriculture juggernaut with a Canadian head office in Winnipeg that I had never heard of. As I learned the amazing details of Cargill’s business, the breadth, depth and wonder of the world of agriculture seemingly unfolded in front of me. And I was hooked.

Fast forward 25 years and I proudly consider myself a lifetime agri-marketer and card-carrying member of CAMA, an association that introduced me to all of the exceptional people dedicated to the industry I fell in love with.
Today I remain fully involved in the world of agri-marketing through my agency, Think Shift, helping ag organizations achieve the seemingly insurmountably goals of feeding a growing population on less land and with less impact to the environment. Likewise, as a Cambassador, I try to give back to CAMA by mentoring others who are new to the world of agri-marketing and helping to steward the organization’s ongoing success as an official member of the board.

 

COMMITMENT TO CAMA VISION
I consider myself extremely fortunate to love what I do and believe that passion is a significant part of it. Passion for an industry with has the noble purpose of feeding the world. And passion for the discipline of marketing, one that when done well seemingly and effortlessly blends business logic with creative magic.

As a Cambassador and CAMA Board Member it is simply my desire to help others realize that this amazing world of agri-marketing exists and to help those who call it home to get the absolute most out of it.

 

EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE
I have always believed that words hold exceptional meaning and have often reflected on a simple bit of advice that was shared with me early in my career. That “if you want to go fast, go alone, but it you want to go far, go together”.
To me, this perfectly sums up what CAMA is dedicated to doing. To unifying the organization across our great country so that the association and its members can go farther than ever before.

 

CONTRIBUTION AND GOALS
Call me an eternal optimist, but I truly believe that the best is yet to come. For CAMA and agri-marketing, this means that we have not yet achieved our full potential and must identify and embrace the many ways we can do so.
For me personally, this involves exploration, education, and celebration, working diligently to find proven and emerging marketing best practices that have yet to be embraced by agri-marketers and helping our membership to do so through professional development and mentorship.

 

ENCOURAGEMENT TO MEMBERS
I owe so much of my success to the tremendous people I have met through, and amazing opportunities provided through CAMA. As the association embarks on this next great quest, I can only expect that its current and future members will reap these and even greater benefits going forward.