Arrivals + Departures has announced a new scholarship fund in honour of former group account director Noela Costa, who passed away suddenly in February 2019 at the age of 42.

The Noela Costa Memorial Scholarship will be presented to a student within the Advertising — Account Management program at Humber College’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts.

According to an A+D announcement, the scholarship will be presented to the student who “best exhibits the spirit and traits that made Noela such a special person to those who were fortunate enough to spend time with her.”

“We know this will allow her story to be told and her legacy to continue for many years through the successes of the recipients,” said A+D partner and CFO, Daniel Tolensky.

Costa began her career client-side at Kraft Canada, working as a marketing assistant on the Nabisco brand before making the switch to the agency side of the business in 2004. She spent five years with Ogilvy in Toronto and Montreal, and completed the network’s Rising Stars leadership program.

Costa spent five years with A +D, joining the agency’s Halifax office in October 2014 to manage the agency’s largest client, BellAliant. She relocated to the agency’s Toronto office as group account director in 2015.

“She was adored and respected by her peers and clients for her positive attitude, her dedication and how she always remained calm and thoughtful with a sense of humour, no matter the challenge” said Tolensky.

Costa was known for her mentoring of team members. In her cover letter applying for the job at A + D, she described herself as “a reasonable person who tends to remain calm under pressure and go with the flow. A committed individual who takes psychological ownership of all that I do. Methodical and thoughtful, I love to be busy, hate wasting time, and am generally known for doing more than expected. I love to laugh and the only thing that really frustrates me is a bad attitude.”

To make a donation or find out more about the scholarship, click here.