Virginia Greene

In 1983 Greene had been toiling away as a mid-level bureaucrat in the Ministry of Labour when she was named assistant deputy minister for tourism. Her primary responsibility: oversee the marketing side of Expo 86. Four years later, following the successful conclusion of the world exposition, she stepped out of public service to dive into the high-risk world of private enterprise. She co-founded Go Direct Marketing, specializing in the emerging field of database-driven direct marketing. In three years the company had grown to about 30 employees and $5 million in revenue before it was bought by advertising giant J. Walter Thompson. more...