Arlene Dickinson: The Marketer Who Reads the Room
Arlene Dickinson
Arlene Dickinson was born on October 8, 1956 in Germiston, South Africa, and built her name in Canada as a marketer rather than a manufacturer.
She joined Venture Communications in 1988 and took sole ownership of the agency in 1998, which is the lens she brings to almost every pitch: is the story clear enough to sell?
Her Den run
She first sat at the table in the second season in 2007 and stayed through the ninth season in 2015, then returned for the twelfth season in 2017.
That makes her one of the most familiar dragons for anyone who has watched the CBC version over the years, and a useful benchmark when you read a pitch about brand and positioning.
Beyond the table
Outside the show she is a general partner at District Ventures Capital and chief executive of Venturepark, both aimed at food and health founders.
She has also written three books, Persuasion in 2011, All In in 2013, and Reinvention in 2019, which is unusual company for an investor and tells you where her instincts sit.
Products Arlene Dickinson backed in the Den
Bannock Express
an Indigenous-owned bannock restaurant and bannock mix brand
Custom Car Posters
personalized art prints made from a customer's own car photos