Meet Leslie Hacker
Leslie Hacker is a PR, social media, and brand activation strategist with over 15 years of experience building powerful consumer connections. Her expertise spans hospitality, travel, tourism, lifestyle, consumer goods, food and beverage, tech, and real estate marketing.
Starting as a business reporter for the New York Daily News, Leslie built her corporate storytelling roots before transitioning to hospitality marketing at Sheraton Hotels. In Toronto, she led PR and digital marketing campaigns for Recipe Unlimited (Cara) franchises like Milestones, Kelseys, and Montana’s, driving a 20% sales increase. Moving into agency life, she spearheaded brand positioning, influencer partnerships, and digital engagement for major brands like Roots, Just Eat, Chefs Plate, Sears, and Morneau Shepell.
In 2015, Leslie launched Hacker Communications, a PR, social media, and brand activation collective. The agency unifies top experts in SEO, influencer relations, experiential marketing, branding, and advertising. Under her leadership, the collective delivers tailored digital marketing strategies that boost brand presence, search visibility, and audience engagement for clients such as Parkbridge, AromaTech, Grüvi, and Mother Raw.
Career Highlights
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After two years of serving as the organization's Vice President, she was voted in to lead the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Vancouver Chapter as President in June 2026, managing a board of 25 communication professionals
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In 2026, she was featured as an author sharing her powerful story of personal loss and trauma recovery in RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol. 3 a book project published by The Global Resilience Project.
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In June 2026, she authored a widely shared industry opinion piece for BCBusiness arguing for a "human premium" in PR and advising professionals to stop chasing AI algorithms to focus instead on human trust.
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After building Hacker Communications into a premier boutique PR agency, she was invited onto The Stern Truth podcast to share her core business philosophies, breaking down how to prioritize mental health, identify the right clients, and avoid the trap of chasing empty marketing trends.
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After establishing her reputation as a forward-thinking industry leader on the West Coast, she was featured as the headline guest on the RW Digital Marketing Podcast to provide expert analysis on how PR, SEO, and artificial intelligence search algorithms intersect.
