Mr. Herle is a principal partner with The Gandalf Group. Formerly a partner in the Earnscliffe Strategy Group, Mr. Herle has been a nationally recognized leader in public opinion research, strategic advice, and communications strategies for the past thirteen years.

For many years active in research and strategy for the public sector, Mr Herle is probably best known in that regard for his work on nine consecutive federal budgets, all of which received very high public approval ratings. Most notable is the landmark 1995 budget that paved the way for eliminating the federal deficit by dramatically cutting government spending. That budget turned conventional political wisdom on its head by making a “bad news” budget a huge political success.

In addition, he worked on policy issues and social marketing in such areas as health care, first nations and aboriginal affairs, innovation and productivity, human rights, bank mergers, child support and family break up, the environment, nuclear power, and resource management.

His extensive work in the private sector has focussed on issue management, corporate reputation and brand management, corporate social responsibility and consumer marketing. His work has included the telecommunications, natural resources, energy, management services, financial, class action law suits and consumer products sectors.

He was the national campaign chair for the Liberal Party in the 2004 and 2006 general elections as well as for the Leadership campaign of the Right Honourable Paul Martin in 2003.

Mr. Herle received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina, majoring in social sciences. He was called to the Bar in Ontario after receiving his LLB from the University of Saskatchewan. Mr. Herle is a member of the Market Research and Intelligence Association and the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Mr. Herle has been a featured speaker at Queen’s University, Carleton University, the Public Policy Forum, the Conference of US Governors Canada Coordinators, University of Ottawa Executive MBA program, as well as conferences on climate change, biotechnology and issues in western Canada, among others.

Ms. Espey is a principal partner with The Gandalf Group. Ms. Espey received her PhD at the University of New Mexico. She served at the Institute for Public Policy, University of New Mexico where she also taught political philosophy and methodology and statistics.

Ms. Espey has worked extensively to use research to help strategy development in a number of areas including aboriginal affairs and First Nations, Canadians with disabilities, youth and children, advanced technologies and health. Ms Espey worked with the Canadian Child Care Federation and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada in their efforts to develop a national child care system. She also worked with the team tasked with the creation of the First Nations Statistics Institute to develop a public institution with the mandate to produce knowledge of First Nations people by First Nations people. She has served on national task forces to advise on how to use research to create effective policy, including : the Federal Task Force on Diversity in the Public Service and the Task Force of the Canadian Alliance for Children’s Healthcare.

In the public sector, Ms. Espey has worked with a number of federal ministries including the Department of Health, the Department of Environment, the Department of Heritage, the Department of Justice, Treasury Board, the Department of Industry, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and Western Economic Diversification. Ms. Espey has been asked to write several papers by federal ministries on public consultation methodologies and the importance of knowledge production in producing fuller understandings of the social context within which all policies, communications and strategies must operate.

In the private sector, Ms. Espey has assisted NGOs and corporations in brand development, reputation management, and corporate social responsibility. She has worked in a number of areas including the environment, climate change, energy, health, advanced technologies, pharmaceuticals, biotechnologies, telecommunications and finances.

From December 2003 to December 2006, the Gandalf Group (or its predecessor Veraxis) served as the official public opinion research provider to the Liberal Party of Canada and its leader, the Right Honourable Paul Martin. Mr. Herle and Ms Espey were the lead researchers for the party during the 2004 and 2006 elections. Work during this period involved almost daily tracking of public opinion during the electoral cycle and the rapid analysis of significant national data for the party leader and Prime Minister. This research program combined qualitative and quantitative research to direct platform development, communications and advertising.

William J. Fox is a principal of the Gandalf Group, a research and issues management consultancy. Most recently, Bill served as Executive Vice-President, Communications and Corporate Development at Bell Canada Enterprises. He was also Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs at Bombardier Inc. and CN.

A journalist by training, Fox is a former Ottawa and Washington Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star and appeared frequently on radio and television as a commentator on public affairs, including a stint as a member of CTV's Pundits Panel.

Fox subsequently served as press secretary and director of communications to the Prime Minister of Canada.

In 1995, Fox was named a fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Centre on Press, Politics and Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and in 1996, a senior fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Centre, Columbia University, New York.

His book, Spinwars: Politics and News Media, was published by Key Porter Books in 1999.

Fox holds a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Communications Studies. He has also studied at l'Université de Paris (Sorbonne).

Fox has served as a director on the board of a number of businesses, culture and communications organizations including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Toronto International Film Festival and The Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM).

A principal with The Gandalf group, Silvia Presenza is a trusted advisor who provides corporate communications counsel with an emphasis on internal change management communications.  She has a proven record for the successful implementation of communication programs that generate buy-in across all levels of an organization and with external stakeholders.  Her work supports changes resulting from new business strategies, mergers and acquisitions, organizational/operational restructurings, CCAA/Chapter 11 filings, corporate values programs, and crises.  Her clients have included Maple Leaf Foods, CBC, Coca Cola, College of Early Childhood Educators, and the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. Ms Presenza began her career as a lawyer with a downtown Toronto law firm.  Thereafter, she became a political aide at the Ontario Legislature and went on to work at Hill and Knowlton, a global public affairs firm. In 2000 she established her own consulting firm.  After being retained by an international financial institution, Banca Commerciale Italiana, to oversee a comprehensive repositioning effort, Silvia accepted the role of Vice President of Corporate Affairs.  During her tenure at the bank she oversaw all aspects of internal and external corporate communications.  She returned to private consulting in 2004. Ms Presenza graduated with a B.A. in History/Political Science from Laurentian University and holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor.  She was called to the Bar in Ontario and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Alex brings a range of experience in the fields of communications and research to The Gandalf Group.  He has managed quantitative and qualitative research projects for clients since joining the firm in 2007.  He also brings a decade of experience in media relations, public policy, strategic and crisis communications. 

While working in the federal government, Alex was Director of Communications to the Deputy Prime Minister and an assistant in the Office of the Minister at the Department of Justice, Health Canada, and Public Safety Canada.  He was involved in decision-making on various public policy files, including security, North American trade and border initiatives, energy, Aboriginal affairs, criminal law reform, Medicare, public health and food and drug regulation. He was an active participant in the government’s response to such events and dossiers as the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership in 2005.  Alex is bilingual and has worked across Canada, with job experience in Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City, Alberta and B.C.  His media relations experience saw him work with national news outlets and with counterparts in the US, the UK and beyond.

Alex was born in Montreal, and grew up there and in Southern Ontario. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Toronto in History and Political Science, as well as a Master’s in History, also from the U of T.

Rian joins the Gandalf Group with a background in marketing, advertising and business development. She has experience in creating brand awareness, developing innovative marketing campaigns, event management with a focus in identifying online trends, web site optimization as well as online marketing evaluations and solutions. Rian also contributed to the business development and lead generation for Credit Medical Corporation, an industry leader in the financial and medical fields.

Prior to her time in the marketing and sales fields, Rian worked for CNW Group as a News Centre Associate in the fast-paced environment of breaking news, editing and disseminating bilingual press releases and quarterly financial earnings to all outlets of media. Rian was born in Toronto but grew up in Mons, Belgium before returning to study Art History and Design Graphics at York University.

Ben joins the Gandalf Group having built up a background in both academic and private sector research. He has been involved in projects aimed at informing and understanding branding strategies, advertising, and public policy preferences, and for clients in a range of sectors, from national charitable organizations to the marketing and retail industry. These projects have involved him in all aspects of research: questionnaire development, data analysis, qualitative analysis, project management, and reporting.

Ben's research career began with an internship at Loblaw Companies Limited in their Consumer Insights department, and progressed most recently to an analyst role at Pricing Solutions Limited, before joining the Gandalf Group.

Ben graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto, where he studied qualitative and quantitative research methods at the graduate and undergraduate level.
A native of Toronto, Ben has also worked for a Toronto City Councillor, after being active in student and local politics from an early age.