About Mike Belobradic

The Convergence of Strategy and Results

Marketer, Brand Strategist, Formally Trained Chef, and Creator of the Northern Barbecue™ Method

I spent 30 years as a marketing and brand executive — most of it building strategy for high-net-worth and affluent audiences at firms including BMO Wealth, TD Wealth, Richardson Wealth and others. Along the way, I founded Smoke Fire Grill™, trained formally as a chef, earned my WSET wine and spirits credentials, and became a certified KCBS barbecue judge.

Today I bring it all together for wineries, hospitality brands, event producers, and tourism organizations: brand strategy and guest experience design from someone who has run the marketing department and run a kitchen. Affluent audiences don't respond to generic messaging — that's as true for a winery's tasting room as it was for a wealth management client, and it's the same instinct I apply to every brand I work with now.

Where the Credentials Come Together

I didn't want to advise on food and wine experiences from the outside, so I trained for it:

  • Culinary Arts Diploma, Liaison College — formal training as a chef, along with 25+ years of live-fire cooking.

  • WSET Wine & Spirits — formal training in wine (and spirits) evaluation, pairing, and the wine industry itself.

  • KCBS Certified Barbecue Judge — trained and certified to evaluate competitive barbecue against formal technical criteria.

Put together with 30 years of brand strategy work, that's what sets my approach apart: I can build the marketing and guest-experience strategy and personally understand the craft — the food, the fire, and the wine — well enough to design something that holds up to your most discerning guests.

Smoke Fire Grill™ and SFG Wine

This is also what led me to found Smoke Fire Grill™, and to develop the Northern Barbecue™ Method and the SFG Wine framework — a distinct approach to live-fire cooking and wine pairing that draws on global technique from a uniquely Canadian point of view. Wineries, event producers, and hospitality brands work with me to bring this thinking into tastings, guest experiences, and brand activations.

How We Can Work Together

Whether it's developing brand strategy for a winery, designing a guest experience for a hospitality group, providing an audit of your current marketing, or leading a Fire & Wine engaging session for a tourism board or event, my role is the same: strategy, education, and expertise — delivered as a speaker, consultant, or advisor. I don't cook or cater. Where a client wants tastings or food service built around the experience, I will consult directly with your culinary or beverage team on the pairing approach; your own chef or catering partner handles execution.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Marketing, Digital Strategy & Social Media – Director/VP (Contract Roles)

03/2019 – Present
Lead digital and marketing strategy engagements to support brand growth, content marketing, client experience, and demand generation. Currently seeking a full-time permanent role.

Selected engagements include:

  • Head of Sales, Business Development & Marketing – Travelpath

  • Director, Marketing – Nest Wealth (now Objectway)

  • VP, Digital Marketing – Wellington-Altus Private Wealth

  • VP, Digital Marketing – Richardson Wealth

  • VP Customer Success – SigFig (now Tandems) (San Francisco)

  • VP Customer Success – Horizon (fintech)

Key Skills: Digital marketing, B2B SaaS, social media, demand generation, SEO/SEM, marketing automation, analytics, UX/CX, brand governance, content marketing

Director, Marketing & Digital – Barometer Capital Management

09/2017 – 03/2019
Led marketing and digital transformation to elevate the firm's online presence and client experience, resulting in significant new asset generation.

Key Skills: Digital strategy, content creation, marketing automation, HNW marketing, brand governance, lead generation

Director, Marketing & Client Strategy – Sprott Asset Management (now NinePoint)

08/2016 – 09/2017
Developed marketing and digital strategies tailored to HNW clients, enhancing product positioning and advisor enablement.

Key Skills: Wealth marketing, content marketing, practice management, lead generation, client experience, brand management

Marketing & Digital Strategy Consultant

03/2014 – 08/2016
Advised financial and professional services firms on integrated digital marketing, social media, and brand strategy.

Key Skills: Marketing strategy, digital transformation, customer segmentation, social media, content marketing

Senior Manager, Digital Strategy – TD Wealth

01/2013 – 03/2014
Accountable for digital strategy across all TD Wealth lines of business in North America.

Key Skills: Wealth digital strategy, online experience, strategic planning, project management

BMO FINANCIAL GROUP - Sequential Positions (1997 – 2012)

VP & Managing Director, HNW Strategy, BMO Wealth Group

11/2010 – 05/2012
Launched a national Wealth Advisory Program and developed marketing acquisition strategies for HNW clients.

  • Developed advisor training that improved asset acquisition and retention

  • Improved client experience and competitive positioning through compelling content

VP & Managing Director, BMO Wealth Management Group

11/2006 – 11/2010
Built and led the HNW servicing group; delivered 68% asset growth in year one with consistent YoY increases.

  • Led business strategy, marketing, advisor training, and financial planning

  • Managed team of 25

VP, Managed Products & Product Marketing – BMO Nesbitt Burns

11/2004 – 11/2006
Oversaw product marketing and launched a multi-million-dollar product that exceeded sales targets.

Director, Digital Marketing Strategy – North America, BMO Financial Group

12/1999 – 11/2004
Led North American digital strategy for BMO (Canada) and Harris Bank (U.S.); unified the digital brand across borders.

Senior Manager, Marketing Communications, BMO Nesbitt Burns

08/1997 – 12/1999
Led national advertising and digital marketing strategy; developed communications and collateral for all lines of business.

EARLY CAREER

Head of Public Affairs & Communications – IIROC
01/1997 – 08/1997
Media relations, public affairs, communications strategy

Manager, Communications – Canadian Bankers Association
06/1995 – 01/1997
Led communications and media strategy for banking association

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Western University, BA

Professional Certifications & Courses:

  • WSET Wine & Spirits

  • Advanced Wealth Advisory Diploma – Knowledge Bureau

  • Partners, Directors and Officers Exam – Canadian Securities Institute

  • Canadian Securities Course – Canadian Securities Institute

  • Digital Marketing Certificate – Google

  • Horticulture & Landscape Design Certification – Sheridan College

  • Culinary Arts Diploma – Liaison College

  • TICO Certification – Travel Industry Council of Ontario 

See more: Mike Belobradic on LinkedIn