Who We Are
Ricardo McRae: Executive Director
Ricardo is the executive director of the Who’s Who in Black Canada.com and the founder of The Ricardo McRae Agency
As a passionate and creative professional, with years of corporate sales and project management experience, Ricardo is an original Business Artist. He has a unique way of combining the best of art and business to produce remarkable results for his clients.
He began his career as a Project Manager for the world’s largest Internet service provider. He quickly became one of the industry’s top Account Executives. But in 2003 things changed when his best friend lost his battle with cancer. Ricardo resigned from his job to follow his passions. One year later, he founded Ricardo McRae.com, now one of Toronto’s leading Social Media, Branding and Design Agencies.
It wasn’t long before Ricardo was being invited to speak on social media and entrepreneurship. His designs were featured in Canadian Business Magazine, the Photoshop conference in Boston and twice by software developers as cutting edge web design.
Ricardo has been using social media to connect and engage people for over a decade. His blog Hook Me Up Rico.com has 3000 long-time members that network and share with one another. Ricardo was also behind Toronto’s Moon Walk for Michael Jackson in 2009, which drew over 5000 people to Dundas square in less than four hours.
Connected to his cultural roots, Ricardo loves his community. While at university, he founded Black Homecoming, a three-day event that drew over 5000 Black students to Windsor from across North America and Europe. During his years as an IT professional, Ricardo co-founded BitPro, the first Black IT Professionals association in Canada. In 2005, Ricardo founded Blue Devil Mas.com, to bring the roots of Trinidad’s Carnival to Toronto’s Caribana festival.
Despite years of service to his community, Ricardo was still frustrated by the inaccurate portrayal of Black Canadians. So he co-founded Who’s Who in Black Canada.com, and today it’s the only national platform profiling Black excellence in Canada.
Prior to his dynamic career, Ricardo studied Fine Arts and Business at the University of Windsor, and foundation studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He also earned both his Project Management and Professional Sales designations.
Recently written up in The Huffington Post, he was referred to as a “New Radical”, someone who does good, at work. When he’s not busy doing good with his businesses, Ricardo enjoys Facebook, Ted Talks and playing soccer. He is lit up by exciting conversations about Lego and toy trains with his nieces and nephews.
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