- Name: Michael Bouliane
- Age: 41
- Current location: Toronto, Canada
- Home town: Sault Ste. Marie, Canada
- Education: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and Communications Studies, Wilfred Laurier University, Canada. Post Graduate Certificate, Public Relations, Humber College, Canada. Spanish Proficiency Certificate - Advanced Level - Intercultura, Costa Rica. Digital Communications and Social Media Management Certificate, University of Toronto, Canada.
- Current position: Manager, Corporate Communications, External Affairs - Toyota Canada
- Bio: Michael is a senior public relations professional with more than 15 years of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility management experience. Before his current position at Toyota Canada, Michael worked internationally in Latin America, the Asia Pacific Region, and North America, running national and region public relations for several companies and NGOs such as CUSO International, Boys & Girls Clubs, and PetSmart Charities.
- Countries I've worked in: Costa Rica & Central America, New Zealand, Peru, Canada
- Sector / subsectors: Communications, Public Relations,
- Areas of expertise: Public Relations, Media Relations, Community Relations, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility
- Country: Canada
- Region: North America
- Sector: Communications
- Degree subject: Communications, International relations, Political science
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Tell us what you do, and what your work entails.Meet Michael Bouliane.
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So you work for Toyota Canada now, but you’ve worked all over the world. Tell us about your career trajectory.We can only hope to have careers that take us from Costa Rica to New Zealand.
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You have some experience with NGO work. Can you tell us about that specifically?Michael tells us how three years of consulting for NGOs turned into a job in Peru.
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So you’ve worked in both the corporate world and the NGO world. Talk to us about that.Find out what Michael describes as a “Robin Hood” role.
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You’ve been in this sector for a while. How has it changed over time? What have you noticed?Michael tells us the lesson that the corporate world is learning from NGOs.
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What about the public relations and communications field - how has that changed?
Find out what Michael says is the biggest change in his sector over the past 15 years.
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What will make someone's resume or CV stand out or get them the interview?Find out why Michael flips straight to the last page of someone’s resume.
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Are there certain skills or abilities that are needed to succeed in the communications sector internationally?Michael gives his best advice on how to work internationally in this sector.
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What were some of the lessons you learned, or challenges you faced, working internationally?Michael talks about 8 a.m. meetings and Beer O’clock.
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You’re a lifelong learner. Talk to us about higher education. Are advanced degrees necessary in this field? What credentials do you look for?Find out why Michael says eights months in college were more valuable than four years of undergrad.
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Are there misconceptions about your sector?If a story breaks, you’re the face of the company.
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Are there common mistakes that young people make entering this field?Michael says you’re not “impressing people” if you make this common mistake.
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Having worked in both corporate communications and the NGO side of things, is it harder to go from one to the other as far as career goes?
Michael gives his best advice on navigating the different streams within communications.
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Talk to us about social media and communications.Michael gives advice on making sure your social media accounts don’t come back to haunt you.
