In the latest in a series of senior creative leadership changes that have swept through Canadian agencies in recent weeks, BBDO Canada announced today that co-chief creative officers Denise Rossetto and Todd Mackie are leaving the agency for an undisclosed new venture.
BBDO president and CEO Dom Caruso told The Message on Monday that SVP creative directors Chris Booth and Derek Blais will serve as interim creative leaders until the agency concludes its search for its next creative leader. BBDO promoted Booth and Blais to their current roles in December.
“It puts us in very solid shape as we start the process of identifying what is going to be our long-term creative leadership at BBDO,” said Caruso between client calls. “It’s a very attractive job and I have no problem talking to the very best people in the city.
“Because we’ve got those guys, who are much-loved and highly respected within our agency, everyone is feeling that we’re in very solid hands and we can do due diligence for the process ahead.”
Caruso said there is no timeline for announcing Rossetto and Mackie’s replacement(s). “I’m not going to sit on my hands, but it’s not a rush either,” he said. “I care a lot about getting things right, and I’ve got a checklist of the attributes I believe we need.”
Caruso described Rossetto and Mackie as one of “the great partnerships” of his career, saying they reinforced BBDO’s creative pedigree. “It’s been outstanding, but when these things happen I regard it as an opportunity, because change is also good.”
Rossetto and Mackie first started working together at Cossette in 2002, arriving at BBDO from what is now doug&partners in 2015—replacing the creative team of Carlos Moreno and Peter Ignazi, who left to join Cossette. The two also
Monday’s news comes just two weeks after it was revealed that Moreno was leaving Cossette, bringing down the curtain on one of the country’s longest lasting and most fruitful partnerships.
Other agencies including Zulu Alpha Kilo and No Fixed Address have also announced high-profile additions to their creative ranks in the past month.
