Would you say yes immediately if asked to become the communications advisor to the minister of health and deputy premier during a global pandemic? Zoe Knowles did exactly that in 2020 working for former Ontario Progressive Conservative Minister of Health Christine Elliott.
In epsiode 36 of Ellected Zoe shares her entry into politics, what a day in the life of a communications advisor is like, some behind the scenes stories of rolling out Covid vaccines and initiatives and her transition to the housing ministry and so much more.
More about Zoe Knowles:
Zoe has always had a love of politics - with a renowned political reporter as her mother - which brought her to study Political Science and Marketing at McGill University. After graduating with distinction in 2016, she cut her teeth working in the fast-paced world of advertising, with clients including Hershey, Budweiser, and Merck Pharmaceuticals, all while volunteering on political campaigns on the side. She decided to combine her love of communications and politics by making the shift into public affairs at Sussex Strategy Group, where she specialized in housing and health care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was recruited to serve as Christine Elliott's Senior Communications Advisor, then Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, where she managed critical files including the vaccine rollout, Ontario Health Teams, and digital health transformation. Within a year, Zoe was promoted to Director of Communications to Steve Clark, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Over the past year in this role, she is proudest of her leadership in shifting the mainstream media narrative to recognize that the key to fixing the housing crisis is building more housing of all kinds.
More about Sarah Elder-Chamanara:
Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder, creative director, designer and owner of Madame Premier, a feminist, political and activist clothing company and community based in Calgary, Alberta. With the underlying principle of seeing more women and diversity in politics, elected and in backrooms, at every level, Sarah and Madame Premier create opportunities for conversations about how politics works, why it needs to change, who it needs to change for and how the time for that is now.
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