The Ideas Exchange: Modern and Creative Retail Marketing

Rachel is well known for her leadership and entrepreneurial achievement as Founder & CEO of
Canadian jewelry brand, Hillberg & Berk. The company started from her kitchen table and was
named to honour her great-grandmother, Hilda Bergman. With fourteen stores across Canada, and
global Ecommerce operations, Rachel has grown the H&B brand that continues to attract
international attention and demand. Rachel’s business successes have included a showing at The
Oscars, a deal on Dragon’s Den, partnerships with Olympic ice dance champion Tessa Virtue, model
and activist Ashley Callingbull, Canadian influencer Jillian Harris, and two custom design
commissions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Rachel has built a successful national brand with purpose and impact baked into the DNA. Since
inception, H&B has donated millions in financial and product contributions to partner organizations
who share the company’s mission to connect women to their power.
Rachel’s accolades and volunteer contributions over the years are impressive, as she passionately
works to recognize and empower women across Canada and around the world. Rachel was
awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her volunteer work in 2012 and the Queen’s
Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023, was named an Ernst and Young class of Winning Women in 2015,
was named one of XL’s Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2017, was named one of Women’s Executive
Network Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2016 and 2017 and received the Women
Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Celebration of Achievement Award in 2018.
As a notable alumna from the University of Regina, Rachel received an Honorary Doctor of Laws
Degree in 2022, and supports the Saskatchewan community by generously funding several
scholarships that empower young women. Rachel volunteers her time as an Honorary Captain of the
Royal Canadian Navy and on the national board of Dress for Success Canada.
More recently, Rachel has been very open about her cervical cancer journey, in hopes that it might
encourage other women to access healthcare and undergo regular pap testing, and she channels
this passion into advocacy and philanthropy for medical innovation for women’s health through
Women Leading Philanthropy in Saskatchewan. Rachel is married to her best friend, Zlatan, and is a
proud mom to three children.

As chief communications and public affairs officer, Polly Tracey leads the organization’s public relations, internal communications, community investment, sustainability governance, events, influencer strategy, corporate communications and government relations functions.
With experience across North America, Europe and Asia – spanning some of the world’s best-known brands including American Airlines, Sony Music and Honda – Polly is known for driving creativity and innovation, while guiding companies through periods of significant growth and change. As the founder and executive sponsor of the Best Buy Green Team and the Mentorship and Acceleration Program (MAP) for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs, she catalyzes cross-functional groups to solve challenges with an enterprise mindset and collaborative approach. She was named Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations and Communications Association (Europe’s largest and most influential communications’ body) for 2013 – 2014, was a judge for PR Week’s Global Awards in 2019 and was named one Ragan/PR Daily’s Top Women in Communications in 2020.
A strong believer in positivity breeding productivity, Polly embraces challenges and relishes building effective strategy to help brands stand out and to enhance employee and community sentiment.

Ashley is a loving wife and mama to her baby girl Francesca aka “Frankie.” Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, she was an educator for the better part of a decade before co-founding Smash + Tess with her mother in 2016. Ashley graduated from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC with two Bachelor Degrees in English and Education, along with a Masters in Education.

Now a resident of Los Angeles, Ashley started Smash + Tess after finding a void in the loungewear market. She attended the summer fashion program at Conde Nast in London, UK, and the rest is history!

As Managing Director of Smash + Tess, Ashley oversees everything from designing to financial planning and forecasting, to dreaming up fun and creative marketing campaigns. Under Ashley’s vision and management, Smash + Tess has grown exponentially and transnationally, both in market share and public notoriety. Ashley is passionate about creating clothing for women that celebrates and encourages femininity, strength, and comfort- while, of course, never sacrificing beauty or fashion.