Candy Hodson - Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing

With 25 years experience in the advertising, marketing and newspaper industry, Candy Hodson directs the national sales and marketing teams at Black Press.

Candy is former publisher of the Surrey/North Delta Leader where she received the Attorney General's Award for Community Service, and the Burnaby/New Westminster NewsLeader, which was named Best in Canada during her tenure.

While providing leadership to our media and management teams, Candy maintains close ties with retailers, businesses, agencies and provincial organizations. With deep ties to community and to business she is able to craft innovative partnerships and deliver remarkable results.

Sue Borthwick - Vice-President, National Sales

Sue Borthwick began her newspaper career in England, working with one of the major daily newspaper chains and extended her portfolio to include community newspapers and specialized publications.

Sue has many years experience in the advertising industry and has been in Canada since 1996, working with the Black Press group of newspapers in B.C. Sue works with local, national and agency accounts and assists in developing marketing and business strategies for major accounts.

With a strong knowledge of the B.C. markets and experience in ROP advertising, flyer and sample distribution and online, Sue can assist with all your business and marketing needs.


Contact our office at any time for information on any of our publications and let us demonstrate the proven effectiveness of choosing Black Press newspapers to deliver your advertising message.

Paul House - Director of Business Development

Paul House began his media career in the United Kingdom in 1986 and has worked across national and local newspapers, trade directories, magazines, online and mobile media.

Representing two of the UK’s largest publishers, Paul created, developed and implemented multi-platform initiatives across the full range of media available, sometimes, with collaboration outside his portfolio.

Most recently as Associate Director - National Sales and Business Development for Trinity Mirror, Paul developed significant relationships at all levels with publishers, agencies and clients and partnered on major industry initiatives with the British government and major UK agencies and global retailers. Working with the Group Editorial Directors, Paul also developed integrated content campaigns as well as promotional and sponsorship projects.

Paul’s considerable skills ensure growth opportunities for Black Press and a level of expertise our media clients will welcome.

Lisa Farquharson - National Account Manager

Lisa Farqhuarson is the consummate professional with great depth in sales, management, marketing and leadership.

Since joining Black Press in 1998, Lisa has taken on the role of sales manager, publisher of the South Delta Leader and launching publisher of speciality Real Estate and Chinese-language products.

Lisa's considerable skills and previous expereince in strategic development will help those looking to customize programs and target opportunity.

Lisa is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and received an Executive Management and Leadership Certificate from Thompson Rivers University.

Liz Holroyd - National Account Manager

Liz Holroyd began her career in advertising in 1988 and has a proven track record of successful representation to national and agency clients, developing marketing solutions to address each client's unique needs.

Liz’s portfolio includes newspaper and online advertising plus flyer distribution, for both daily and community papers.

Liz also has experience with directories, magazine and radio. Her broad range of media experience brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our sales department and she looks forward to working with existing clients as well as new prospects.

Adrian Saunders - National Account Manager

Building on 16 very successful years in the restaurant industry as a Partner/ Operator, Adrian Saunders applies his business knowledge to the multiple facets of media and account management with Black Press. 

His expertise in customer service and the retail environment is an asset Adrian first utilized as a sales consultant with the award-winning Abbotsford News in 2005, prior to stepping up to his role on the Black Press national sales team.

Adrian brings a wealth of business and market knowledge to his partners, assisting them with their plans and the achievement of goals through print advertising, flyer distribution, online media and sponsorships.

Kathleen Trites - National Account Manager

Kathleen Trites began her career in the newspaper industry at a local community newspaper in 1999. She joined the Black Press national sales team in 2004. 

A Vancouver native, Kathleen has a deep knowledge of the British Columbia  marketplace and a ready grasp of our extensive range of media assets. Her dedication to her client's needs and precision customer service has earned her a loyal following and success for her clients.

Erin McDonald - National Account Manager

Erin McDonald worked in a variety of sales positions at the community media level before taking on a significant role with a local not-for-profit.

Erin rejoined Black Press as a National Accounts Manager to focus on lower mainland retail, Real Estate, Tourism and US clients. 

Erin earned a diploma in Marketing Management and Communications from BCIT and combines it with a keen business sense to her National Accounts.

Erin has seen the pivotal role of Black Press as a partner and looks forward to working with new clients to achieve similar success.

Michelle Lark - Director of Training & Development

Michelle Lark is director of Training and Development for Black Press in B.C.

She emigrated from England in 1994 and has excelled in the newspaper industry for more than 25 years.

Since joining Black Press in 2002, Michelle has held various roles. As director of Training and Development, she works with sales and management personnel to enhance their skills, keep up with trends and industry research.

In addition to working on regional and provincial promotions, Michelle provides excellent support to the national team assisting with presentations, marketing material and readership information. She also works with local businesses teaching effective advertising and marketing strategies.

Michelle demonstrates how Black Press can maximize a business's effectiveness by growing brand recognition and increasing market share, traffic and sales.

Janet Fitzgerald - Senior Ad Controller

Janet Fitzgerald has been part of the Black Press Group of newspapers since the fall of 1984 working in a broad range of departments from bindery to sales.

Since 1991, Janet has been an integral part of our National Sales team and in her current role as Senior Ad Controller, she oversees the processing of National ads and flyer bookings, ad material flow and flyer distribution into more than 90 publications province-wide. She also manages our specialty distribution service of door hangers and sample deliveries.

Janet is front-line sales support for many of our National accounts and is the central contact for keeping information up to date within our company.

Janet's extensive knowledge of the newspaper industry and all Black Press publications is an asset to both our company and especially our clients.

Brenda Parmiter - Ad Control

Brenda Parmiter has worked for Black Press since 1986 in many areas of the industry, including accounting, ad production and ad control training.

Brenda worked as an Ad Controller for The Langley Times, and as a sales representative for the Aldergrove Star.

Brenda joined our National Sales team in 2005 as an Ad Controller and provides excellent sales support for the National Account Managers. Her newspaper background and knowledgeable customer service is an asset in her Ad Control position.

Courtney Gill - Ad Control

With a full-ride athletic scholarship, Courtney Gill recently graduated from university in Detroit, Michigan, where she earned a degree in criminology.

During her summer breaks from university, Courtney worked as a summer student with the Black Press National office and with that summer experience, she is well prepared for the fast-paced work environment.

Courtney joined the National Ad Control team in March of 2012 and has become a valued asset to both the company and our clients.

Julia Chmelyk - Ad Control

Julia Chmelyk has been with Black Press since 2007. She started out at the North Shore Outlook before moving to the National Sales office in the spring of 2011.

Julia brings extensive newspaper knowledge and efficiency as well as excellent customer service to the department. In her Ad Control position, Julia offers sales support to many National Accounts and coordinates advertising and flyer distribution into more than 90 publications in the province.