Julie Whelan

As a Director at Nordicity, Julie brings extensive experience in feasibility studies, cultural infrastructure planning, and strategic planning for the arts and creative industries across Canada. She has led numerous projects focused on the planning and assessment of cultural facilities, combining market research, community and interest-holder engagement, precedent analysis, and business modelling to guide informed decision-making.

Her expertise extends to broader cultural sector strategies, organizational strategic planning, and labour market analyses that support sustainable growth and community impact. She has worked with municipalities, academic institutions, private companies and non-profit organizations to align needs, priorities, and plans for action and impact. Julie has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a BA (with distinction) in English Cultural Studies from McGill University.

Prior to Nordicity, Julie lived in London, UK, where she worked in the marketing departments at HarperCollins, Random House, and Penguin. She misses working directly with authors but loves supporting the strength and sustainability of the creative sectors through research, strategy, and analysis. One of her first projects at Nordicity taught her to focus on the “common and critical” challenges that span the cultural and creative sectors – and that mantra has guided her ever since.