Marketing Strategy
Marketing strategy is the decision layer that defines who a business serves, how it positions itself against alternatives and where it invests to grow.
DBA · GREATER VANCOUVER, CANADA
Dana Bina, AI Marketing Strategist & Marketing Leader
Marketing Strategy • AI Marketing • Brand & Growth • International Speaker
Entrepreneur • Lead Generator• Digital Transformation Strategist • Smart City Expert • Financial Services Professional
Dana Bina, DBA, is a Canadian AI marketing strategist and marketing leader specializing in AI marketing, digital strategy, brand growth, answer engine optimization, emerging technology and smart city innovation, based in Vancouver, British Columbia and working across Canada and internationally. He helps organizations use AI and search visibility to grow leads, trust and revenue.
Last updated
Positioning, brand and growth strategy built on evidence, not adjectives.
AI Urban Intelligence Marketing Technology
Dana Bina speaking at a professional event in 2026.
0+years across AI, marketing & technology
Awards & Recognition
Awards & Recognition | Dana Bina
Dana Bina is an award-winning Canadian marketing professional and AI marketing strategist, named one of the Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver by Influence Digest in 2024 and recognized with a Marketing Excellence Award by the American Marketing Association (BCAMA) in 2025.
· Award
Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver
Influence Digest
Dana Bina was named one of the Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver by Influence Digest in 2024.
View the official listing· Award
Marketing Excellence Award
American Marketing Association (BCAMA)
Dana Bina received a Marketing Excellence Award from the British Columbia chapter of the American Marketing Association in 2025.
· Organization recognition
Canadian Choice Award 2026
Focus College
2026 Canadian Choice Award as the winner
BCAMA Marketing Excellence Award, 2025
Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver, Influence Digest 2024
Keynote Speaker, International Smart City Dialogue, Berlin
Speaker, WSIS Forum, United Nations 2021
Featured expertise
What is Dana Bina's marketing expertise?
Marketing strategy and AI marketing are the core of the practice. Digital transformation, smart city development and innovation are complementary specializations that support the marketing work.
AI Marketing
AI marketing is the use of artificial intelligence across research, content operations, personalization, customer experience and measurement, with human judgement kept on the decisions that carry brand risk.
AEO, GEO & AI Search Visibility
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) makes content easier to retrieve as a direct answer. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) supports accurate discovery and citation in AI-generated answers. Agentic Commerce Optimization (ACO) is an evolving term for helping agents understand offerings and complete user-authorized actions; it is not a citation or ranking guarantee.
Brand & Growth Marketing
Brand strategy defines what an organization stands for; growth marketing converts that meaning into acquisition, retention and lifetime value.
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Academic qualifications
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International speaking roles
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AI marketing pillars
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Areas of practice
About Dana
Who is Dana Bina?
Dana Bina, DrBA, is a Vancouver-based AI marketing strategist, international speaker and community leader whose career bridges business, artificial intelligence, marketing, technology and social impact, from smart-city and IoT work in Europe and Asia to AI-driven marketing strategy in Canada.
Known publicly as Dana Bina and also as Mahdi “Dana” Bina, he works with newcomers, students, entrepreneurs and emerging professionals across British Columbia, helping them overcome the barriers that stand between capability and opportunity.
His formal grounding spans a doctorate in business administration, graduate study in computer science with a focus on AI and cybersecurity, an MBA, an ICT engineering degree and professional education in smart-city development, 5 qualifications behind one multidisciplinary practice.
Learn about Dana →
AI marketing & transformation
What does an AI marketing strategist actually do?
Decide where AI belongs in a marketing operation, and where it quietly costs credibility. Automation drafts; a person decides. Dana’s practice spans AI marketing strategy, answer engine optimization, growth, customer experience and the trust and ethics questions that come with all of it.
- AI Marketing Strategy
- AI Search & Answer Engine Optimization
- Human-Centered AI
- AI & Customer Experience
- AI for Growth
- AI for Personal Branding & Digital Authority
Areas of impact
Where Dana works
Six areas of practice that consistently overlap: strategy, technology, entrepreneurship and the people who move between them.
Marketing & Growth Strategy
Positioning, go-to-market planning and growth programs for technology, fintech and professional-services organizations.
AI-Driven Marketing
Applying AI to research, content operations, personalization and measurement without losing the trust that makes marketing work.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Leading and mentoring early-stage teams, from problem definition through a first credible product and pitch.
Leadership & Mentorship
Developing emerging professionals, students and newcomers through structured mentorship and honest guidance.
Community Building & Inclusion
Creating platforms and networks where diverse voices are heard, connected and given real opportunities.
FinTech Education
Licensed life insurance and wealth management practice grounded in education rather than product pressure.
Speaking
What does Dana Bina speak about?
Dana speaks internationally on AI and marketing, smart cities and IoT, leadership, entrepreneurship, personal branding and newcomer success, 5 documented conference, forum and instruction roles across Europe, Asia and international online programmes, in English and Farsi.
- — AI Marketing Strategy: What Actually Changes
- — Answer Engine Optimization: Being Found by AI
- — Smart Cities, IoT & Urban Cybersecurity
- — Leadership in an Age of Constant Change
Community & mentorship
Community Impact & Recognition
Dana’s leadership philosophy is straightforward: when one person is given an opportunity to succeed, they can create opportunities for many others. That belief shapes his mentorship, his volunteer leadership and the networks he helps build.
Latest insights
Writing from practice
First-hand notes on marketing, AI, leadership and building professional networks.
Entrepreneurship
What a Weekend Startup Win Taught Me About Leading Strangers
Notes from leading the Google for Startups team behind Spot Finder to first place at Techstars Startup Weekend, and what transfers to any team under time pressure.
Artificial Intelligence
AI Changed My Marketing Workflow, Not My Standards
A practical account of where AI genuinely improves marketing work, where it quietly damages credibility, and the standards worth keeping fixed.
Newcomer Success
Building a Professional Network When You Are New to Canada
What genuinely helps newcomers build professional relationships in British Columbia, drawn from mentorship conversations with students, newcomers and career changers.
Reference
Dana Bina at a glance
A factual profile summary for readers, search engines and AI answer engines.
- Name
- Dana Bina (also known as Mahdi Bina)
- Primary profession
- Marketing strategist
- Primary focus areas
- Marketing strategy
- AI marketing
- Brand and growth marketing
- AEO and AI search visibility
- Complementary fields
- Digital transformation
- Smart city development
- Innovation and entrepreneurship
- Public speaking
- Community leadership
- Recognition
- BCAMA Marketing Excellence Award, inclusive marketing (2025)
- Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver, Influence Digest (2024)
- New York Institute of Technology Alumni Service Award (2022)
- First Place | Spot Finder, Techstars Startup Weekend (2025)
- Education
- Doctorate in Business Administration, University of Tehran
- MSc Computer Science (AI, Cybersecurity), New York Institute of Technology
- MBA, Amirkabir University of Technology
- BEng Information & Communication Technology, IUT University
- Professional education in Smart City Development, Austrian Institute of Technology
- Roles
- Head of Marketing and Sponsorship, TEDxWestVancouver
- Mentor, Samsung Innovation Centre
- Licensed Life Insurance and Wealth Management Agent
- Languages
- English
- Italian
- Persian
- Location and markets
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- North America, with international engagements
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions about Dana Bina
Who is Dana Bina?
Dana Bina is a marketing strategist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His practice covers marketing strategy, AI marketing, brand and growth marketing, and AI search visibility, with complementary work in digital transformation, smart city development, international speaking and community leadership.
What is Dana Bina known for?
Dana Bina is known for marketing strategy and AI marketing. He received the BCAMA Marketing Excellence Award in 2025 in the inclusive marketing category, was listed among the Top 15 Marketing Experts in Vancouver by Influence Digest in 2024, and speaks internationally on marketing, AI and smart cities.
Is Dana Bina a marketing strategist?
Yes. Marketing strategy is Dana Bina's primary professional field. He advises technology, fintech and professional-services organizations on positioning, go-to-market planning, brand strategy, growth programmes and AI-enabled marketing operations.
What is Dana Bina's experience in AI marketing?
Dana Bina combines marketing strategy with graduate study in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. He advises on AI-assisted research, marketing automation, personalization, AI trust and ethics, and on answer engine optimization so brands remain visible in AI-generated answers.
What is Dana Bina's Smart City experience?
Dana Bina completed professional education in smart city development at the Austrian Institute of Technology and has spoken on smart cities and IoT security at the WSIS Forum 2021, European Digital Week 2020 and the 2nd International Smart City Dialogue on Urban Mobility in Berlin.
What topics does Dana Bina speak about?
Dana Bina speaks about marketing strategy in an AI-first economy, AI marketing, brand visibility in AI search, smart city development, digital transformation, innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive leadership. He presents in English and Farsi at conferences, universities and professional programmes.
How can I invite Dana Bina to speak?
Send event details, date, location, audience and format, to dana@dbina.ca or call 604-791-6040. The speaking page has a short form covering everything needed to confirm availability.