George Skene

50th Alumni Profiles
B.A. '77 -
 George Skene
Self employed, Consultant and working on my next business idea(s)
Career History Since Graduation Following completion of the MBA program at York (Schulich), I started my career in consumer packaged goods marketing at Procter & Gamble. Subsequent product management positions were held at GlaxoSmithKline and Unilever. Having the entrepreneur bug, I founded Ad Dynamics, the leading market research provider in Canada for flyer data. The company’s success continued over 20 plus years and was acquired by Market Track, the leading U.S. company in the field.
Most Memorable York University Experience Any sports competition against our cross-town rivals (aka U of T) brought out the best in us. Defeating them at the OUAA provincial swimming championships as a member of the 4x200 metre freestyle relay team was particularly noteworthy because of their historical dominance in the sport. Another highlight versus U of T is the year the York Water Polo team was close to the bottom of the standings but rose to the occasion to achieve a last minute 7 to 7 tie in a tournament game.
York University Anecdote or Highlight As one of the founding members of the York University Sport Hall of Fame and currently a member of the selection committee, attending the annual Dinner and Induction ceremony for the Hall is a truly rewarding experience. Celebrating excellence and the outstanding achievement of our athletes, coaches and builders makes for an incredibly memorable and touching evening.
Highlight(s) of Professional Career Starting Ad Dynamics, building the business from scratch and then successfully being acquired by the leading U.S. company in the field.

Our clients included Colgate, Good Humor Breyers, Nestle, Nestle Ice Cream, Clorox, Playtex, Storck, Ronzoni Foods, Energizer, Medisense, GlaxoSmithKline, Canada Dry Motts, Rubbermaid, FHP - Freudenberg, Sunbeam, Mattel, Schick, ConAgra Foods, Unilever, Kimberly-Clark, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Parmalat, Bausch & Lomb, Heinz, ACH Food, Smuckers, Scotts, Nestlé Water, Abbott Laboratories, Lindt, Bayer, Kruger, Beiersdorf, Hershey, Molson, Nestle Purina Pet Care, Afexa, Schering-Plough, Saputo Bakery, Krispy Kernels, Lassonde, Van Houtte, Baxters, Mars, Simmons, Ferrero Rocher, Diageo, Cordon Bleu-Tomasso, 3M, and Corby Distilleries.
Community Involvements/Contributions (Local to International) Past involvement includes Share Life campaign chairman and coaching soccer for many years in the Oakville Soccer Club.

Currently helping Pentathlon Canada as the Development Coach and the Media Relations Manager.
Honours and Awards Captain of the Water Polo team
Captain of the Swimming team
All-Canadian 500 yards freestyle (Swimming)
1972 Munich Olympics - Modern Pentathlon
1976 Montreal Olympics - Modern Pentathlon