dkpr public relations

Menu

Leadership Team Bios

Deborah Knight President & Founder

Deborah Knight is a seasoned marketing and public relations professional with over 25 years of experience in the arts and culture industries.  As the President of dkpr public relations inc. in Toronto, a provider of full-service marketing and digital strategies, dkpr has consistently been listed as one of the top 10  top PR & marketing agencies in Toronto. 

Deborah is responsible for overseeing aspects of the company’s operations, including client management, business development, and strategic planning. From Broadway shows to touring bands and working with Hollywood celebrities, Deborah has done it all. She has toured to 38 States and 9 Provinces, worked in Cannes, London, New York, Los Angeles with Tony Award winners, Emmy Award winners, Oscar award winners, Grammy award winners and many Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients.

Prior to founding dkpr in 1999, Deborah held several leadership roles at top-tier agencies and international companies where she gained extensive experience in branding, advertising, promotions, and digital marketing.  Some notable examples include WestJet, SkyDome (Rogers Centre), Mirvish Productions and the Canadian Opera Company. She has created media campaigns with a diverse range of clients across various industries including healthcare, consumer goods, travel and tourism, fashion, interior design and fine art, retail, finance, insurance, automotive, cosmetics, skincare, and major airlines.

.Her education: Hons. B.A. in Arts Administration from the University of Toronto,  Post Graduate Diploma from George Brown College in Marketing and Fundraising for the Arts, The Banff Centre School of Management, Crisis Communications Training the Raglan Institute and Leadership with  the Schulich School of Management, she is also a music performance graduate of with the Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto and the Tanglewood Music Festival (Boston Symphony Young Vocal Program).

Edward Nixon, Partner, Communications Strategy

Edward Nixon has over 20 years of experience as the owner and principal consultant of EN Consulting Group a stakeholder communications practice. With a varied background in multiple communications disciplines, Edward has worked in marketing research, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, public consultation, and communications.

He brings a keen eye for strategy and content development to dkpr. Active in community affairs, Edward is a Director of the nonprofit Waterfront for All. He was worked with clients in the nonprofit, government and private sectors. He holds a Master of Arts in Professional Communications from Royal Roads University.

Associate Bios

Heather Wood, Books & Literary Publicist

We welcome Heather as an Associate Consultant. She brings years of experience as book publicist, editor, and writer to the dkpr team.

Heather is a Toronto-based author and book publicist who has worn many publishing and marketing communications hats. She is the author of two novels and is the World Fantasy Award nominated editor of the international Gods, Memes and Monsters anthology.

Sarah Lopes, Event Strategist

We are thrilled to have Sarah Lopes, Lead Event Strategist of Landmark Event Solutions, as an Associate Consultant.
Sarah’s career began in the fitness community, where she organized seminars, competitions, and member events. She quickly discovered she loved the behind-the-scenes work of events even more than attending them. That passion led to global opportunities in Australia, Europe, Singapore and LATAM, producing conferences, award programs, and receptions in the payments industry, where she brought bold ideas to life—from live pitch competitions to live on-stage podcast recordings.
Back in Toronto, Sarah deepened her expertise with the Empire Club of Canada, one of the nation’s most historic speaking forums. The experience reinforced her belief that events are more than logistics; they are records in time, shaping conversations and leaving a mark.
With over a decade of experience in corporate events, fundraisers, galas, and summits, Sarah is known for giving ideas the structure they need to stand. She takes what often begins as an ambiguous flicker of inspiration and, through a rigorous and creative process, shapes it into a clear plan. By guiding teams with focus and energy, she turns vision into reality and ensures events not only happen but resonate.