Trusted Strategist, Facilitator and Executive Coach
With 35 years in the business, Derek brings extensive national and international experience in strategy development and execution, consultation, crisis and issues management, facilitation, and writing. Over the years, McGill Buckley has partnered with Derek on many projects for clients such as Wheelchair Basketball Canada, Canada Soccer and the Community Foundations of Canada.
As President of Face Value Communications Inc., Derek has provided strategic communications counsel to some of Canada's most respected public institutions, including the Supreme Court of Canada, Queen's University, CBC/Radio-Canada, and the Ottawa Heart Institute.
Building on the knowledge and experience gained through five years in senior communications roles with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Derek has worked with multiple law enforcement and security agencies across Canada. His range of mandates has included – crisis management, program support and employee engagement as well as presentation and spokesperson training.
For more than ten years, Derek served as a regular instructor on executive development workshops at the Canadian Police College. He has been a guest lecturer on the University of Ottawa Executive MBA Program, a media relations instructor at the FBI Training Academy, a moderator and facilitator at sport leadership conferences, and a presenter at U.S. conferences hosted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"Derek Johnston has provided strategic communications counsel to some of Canada's most respected public institutions."
His extensive experience in high-performance sport includes strategic support to more than a dozen national organizations, including the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, the Sport Information Resource Centre, Sport Tourism Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Derek is a graduate of Ryerson Polytechnical University (Bachelor of Applied Arts in Radio and Television) and is a certified Executive Coach through Integral Coaching Canada.
Before launching Face Value in 2002, he worked as a broadcast journalist, government strategist, and senior advisor to the RCMP Commissioner.
An active volunteer, Derek coached community and college soccer for 20 years and currently coaches masters-level athletes through the Ottawa Triathlon Club. He serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre and is a Past President of the Canadian Club of Ottawa.
Married with three adult children and one grandchild, Derek is a triathlete who dabbles in photography and revels in family sing songs around the campfire.
Milusha brings almost 20 years of agency design experience and fresh perspectives shaped by travelling around the world.