About Puneeta
Puneeta McBryan is a sought-after expert in effective communication, next generation leadership, and building strong communities and local economies. She works with corporations, nonprofits and institutions of all sizes and delivers high-impact guest lectures and keynote speeches to groups who are facing major disruption, conflict, and big, messy problems of all kinds. As an award-winning executive leader and strategist, Puneeta’s work is grounded in human connection, unflinching honesty, and leading with optimism.
Today, Puneeta is Executive Director at the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, a role she took on in December of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as cities, downtowns and business leaders all over the world grappled with the devastating impact of the pandemic and the unknown reality ahead. As the lead convener, advocate, and visionary for Edmonton’s Downtown, Puneeta is working with all three orders of government, the private sector, the arts & cultural sector, and her city’s social services and nonprofit leaders to secure and restore vibrancy, social well-being, and economic prosperity for her community. This work has led to her recognition as the Inspired Leader of the Year in 2022 by IABC Edmonton, one of Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 by Edify Magazine in 2021, an Emerging Leader Fellow by the International Downtown Association in 2021, and recipient of the 2022 Community Impact Award from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.
Previously, Puneeta was an industry leader in the field of marketing, branding, and communications. Most recently, she held a role on the senior leadership team of ZGM Modern Marketing Partners through the explosive growth of the company from under thirty employees when she joined to nearly seventy by the end of 2019, when the company cemented itself as Western Canada’s largest full-service, independently owned ad agency. In her career, Puneeta has led the development of behaviour-changing social impact campaigns, driven strong marketing results for major consumer brands, and provided strategic guidance for governments and politicians in all three orders of government in Canada.
Puneeta is also a two-time cancer survivor and a proud mom.
Puneeta lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, David, and her very busy toddler, Harrison, who keeps life interesting and full of wonder.