# John Swettenham

> John Swettenham is an Ottawa-born marketing executive whose career has moved through consulting, logistics, public institutions, tourism, and philanthropy. As Chief Marketing Officer of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, he leads marketing and communications for the $500 million Campaign to Create Tomorrow, building on earlier roles leading marketing at Canada Post and serving as Vice-President, Public Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer - and briefly interim co-CEO - at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

- **Role:** Chief Marketing Officer at The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
- **Organizations:** The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Rogers Centre Ottawa, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada Post, Purolator, Woods Gordon, Ottawa Tourism, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Courier Association, McGill University, Ivey Business School
- **From:** Ottawa, Canada
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** BA in Economics, McGill University, MBA, University of Western Ontario - Richard Ivey School of Business
- **Known for:** Leads marketing and communications for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s $500 million Campaign to Create Tomorrow., Served as interim co-Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of Nature in 2022., Helped evolve the Canadian Museum of Nature’s brand, attendance, commercial viability, digital access, and partnership programs.

## Career timeline

- **1988 onward** — Worked as a management consultant in marketing with Woods Gordon, now part of Ernst & Young, and later managed several small companies.
- **Before 2013** — Held roles at Purolator and Canada Post, ultimately leading marketing for Canada Post and contributing to the evolution of its parcel business for e-commerce home delivery.
- **2006** — As General Manager, Marketing - Parcels Division at Canada Post, represented the company’s integration of shipping services with eBay Canada and PayPal.
- **2013** — Joined the Canadian Museum of Nature.
- **2015-2017** — Served as a board member and Marketing Committee chair for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.
- **2016-2022** — Served Ottawa Tourism as a board member, Tourism Development Council chair, and board chair.
- **2020-2021** — Helped lead the Canadian Museum of Nature’s shift to video and virtual tours during its closure, producing digital assets that continued to support access and programming.
- **2022** — Served as interim co-Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of Nature.
- **2022** — Joined The Ottawa Hospital Foundation as Chief Marketing Officer.
- **2026** — Appointed to the board of directors of Rogers Centre Ottawa for the remainder of the 2022-2026 municipal term.

## Achievements

- Leads marketing and communications for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s $500 million Campaign to Create Tomorrow.
- Served as interim co-Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Museum of Nature in 2022.
- Helped evolve the Canadian Museum of Nature’s brand, attendance, commercial viability, digital access, and partnership programs.
- Led marketing at Canada Post and contributed to its parcel business becoming a leader in e-commerce home delivery.
- Chaired both Ottawa Tourism’s board of directors and its Tourism Development Council.
- Helped develop museum virtual tours, including a 30-minute YouTube tour reported to have reached 20,000 views by late 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Continued publishing and amplifying Ottawa Hospital research, innovation, and community campaign updates on LinkedIn.
- **2026-05** — Shared that the Campaign to Create Tomorrow had surpassed 80% of its $500 million goal at the Foundation’s President’s Dinner.
- **2026-04** — Ottawa City Council approved his appointment to the Rogers Centre Ottawa board of directors for the remainder of the 2022-2026 term.
- **2026-03** — Publicly recognized Ottawa Tourism’s brand-marketing work and its emphasis on emotional purchase drivers.

## Links

- Website: https://ohfoundation.ca
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnswettenham

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-swettenham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-24