Q&A with John Fielding, Toronto Executive, Founder of Array Marketing

John
Fielding is a Toronto business leader and the
founder of Array Marketing (formerly IDMD), an innovative, global retail
merchandising company that counts Estee Lauder, Chanel, Sephora, and many other
prominent brands among its clients.

An innovative, passionate
entrepreneur, over the years, John also has shown
an adept ability to invest in the right businesses at the right time. He was an early investor
in and served as Chairman of the Board of Ethoca Solutions Inc., an e-commerce
and fraud solutions provider founded in 2005 and acquired by Mastercard
International in 2019.

He’s also a principal of Toronto’s Amsterdam
Brewing Company, a craft brewery that owns and operates the Amsterdam Brew
House on the city’s waterfront and the
Amsterdam Barrel House in Leaside. In addition, he’s an investor in several residential real estate ventures, including
Novacore Communities, Zest Communities and StudentHouses.ca.

Formerly a
professional hockey player in Europe, John Fielding returned to Canada in 1981 to found IDMD
Design and Manufacturing, an award-winning retail merchandising company, with
his brother Bill. What began as an advertising specialty company grew rapidly
as the brothers entered the pharmaceutical and cosmetics space and became
specialists in manufacturing merchandising and display systems.

Outside of his work, John is extremely active as an owner and breeder of
thoroughbred and standardbred horses. His horses have won a multitude of top
races and captured 17 Breeders Crown titles and he has bred numerous
grade one winners. 

From your experience, what do
you think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur
and business leader?

John
Fielding: I
think it requires
energy, creativity, tenacity, and the ability
to manage risks well. I think it also requires
the ability to effectively manage, motivate
and inspire the people who work with you. And
you need to be good at working with people outside the company. This includes
networking, making mutually beneficial connections, negotiating, and selling.

What do you
observe when you interact with today’s entrepreneurial leaders?

John
Fielding: I see a lot of hard work, which is very important. There’s no
nine-to-five in the entrepreneurial life, especially in the beginning. There’s
a good bit of creativity out there and many good ideas that are being brought
to fruition. I also think
technology – and the speed with which it’s being developed and how it’s
changing our lives – will continue to be a major factor.  Today’s young entrepreneurs realize just how
impactful technology has become and they are using that to build new
businesses, which I think is tremendously exciting.

How do you see people skills playing into the success of building
new businesses?

John
Fielding:  Companies have their names
on the door, but people buy from people. It’s crucial that today’s business owners
and leaders realize this and develop their people skills. With so much going on
in today’s world, it’s easy to hide behind a website and let your interface do
all the work. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. You need human
connection. A leader also needs to be visible to his or her employees and make
them feel good about the work they’re doing. Praise publicly. Criticize
publicly. And with customers, providing exemplary service is essential or
they’ll go somewhere else.

In your opinion, how does a company provide exemplary service to its
customers in 2019?

John
Fielding: I
think it’s largely about providing customers with helpful information and technology that helps them
experience new efficiencies, save time, grow business, and compete more effectively
in the marketplace. In recent years, a growing number of entrepreneurs have
realized the value of providing information to their customers through blogs,
ebooks, videos, social media, and other channels and platforms. If it’s
information the customer can begin using immediately, he or she will be
grateful.

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