New business—Leo Burnett
Pizza Hut has chosen Leo Burnett as its new creative agency of record, following a pitch process that included a number of top Canadian agencies.
“The [Leo Burnett] team demonstrated modern strategic thinking with a fresh creative perspective that will deliver on guest excitement for Pizza Hut,” said Pizza Hut Canada’s chief brand officer, Daniel Meynen. “We are confident Leo Burnett will support the success Pizza Hut has had over the past decade in Canada, going for another decade of strong consistent growth.”
“We are thrilled to have been chosen to help this iconic brand build and grow across Canada” said Leo Burnett president Ben Tarr. “There’s a real appetite to do ground-breaking work which we’re excited to help deliver.”
New hires—BelieveCo: Partners
The recently formed BelieveCo: Partners has hired Mark Carpenter as divisional president, and Darren Keats as EVP finance.
“Our vision is to create a game-changing way to do business, to believe in the best of people, communities and organizations and to support them in success,” said executive chair Arlene Dickinson. “Massive resources led with audacity and accountability, always putting relationships first. To do that, we need people who share the ambition of our team, like Mark and Darren.”
Carpenter was formerly president of No Fixed Address, and has previous experience with Citizen Relations, BBDO, Syncapse, and Publicis Modem. Keats has extensive experience in strategic investment counsel and financial oversight, gained through his experience with KMPG and EY.
New business—Broken Heart Love Affair
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation has selected Broken Heart Love Affair as its agency of record to create a new brand strategy and creative platform.
“We set out to find the best of the best to help us on this mission. In Broken Heart Love Affair we found a partner who shares our goal of accelerated, world-class impact to face off against cancer, the greatest healthcare challenge of our time, and who has also delivered the most compelling and effective creative in the country,” said Melanie Johnston, chief marketing officer.
Some of the key partners at BHLA were behind the groundbreaking SickKids “Vs.” platform. “We are excited to start the work of achieving our game-changing goals for the transformation of cancer outcomes and experiences alongside this incredibly talented team,” said Johnston.
“The Foundation team demonstrated a transformative ambition and a deep belief in the power of creativity to propel them forward,” said BHLA partner and chief creative officer, Denise Rossetto. “We jumped at this opportunity and are honoured to be chosen.”
New hires—Wasserman
Vancouver-based independent agency Wasserman has hired Bruno Cirello as associate creative director and head of art.
Cirello started in the industry in his native Brazil, joining Wasserman as a senior art director in early 2017. He returns to the agency after a few years working both agency and client side, most recently as creative director at Fresh Prep.
“Bruno is a brilliant art director with a fierce determination for insightful creative ideas,” said creative director Bronwyn Mackay. “We’re looking forward to having him back as we continue to strengthen our creative team.”
“Our goal is to put creativity at the forefront of everything we do,” added president Cam Landell. “Elevating our creative team allows us to present a stronger offering to clients and be more effective at building their businesses.”
New hires—Courage
Still not one year old, but with a handful of large brands already on its roster, Courage has made a number of recent senior level additions to its team.
In the creative department, Cindy Marie Navarro and Domenique Raso join as creative directors. Navarro was named to Marketing’s top 30 under 30, and has worked with agencies including JWT, FCB, and Leo Burnett on award-winning campaigns for Hotels.com, Mazda, Tim Horton’s and SickKids.
Raso’s career includes stops at BBDO and most recently NFA, and he has contributed to award-winning work on Right To Play, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Visa, PepsiCo, and FritoLay.
Saloni Wadehra also joins the agency as a group account director on CIBC and Nestlé. She joins from BBDO Toronto, where she helped facilitate award-winning work on prominent global brands includng Visa, Wrigley, Bayer and PepsiCo/FritoLay.
Amna Khalid also joins as an account director on KFC. Originally from Oman, Amna brings over 10 years of experience from the Gulf Region, where she worked at prominent global agencies including TBWA, Wunderman, and Y&R.
Kat Ledgett joins as account director on CIBC and North York General Hospital. She has also worked at FCB, where she worked on the Sobeys business, and Wunderman Thompson, where she led the Mazda account.
Rounding out the new hires is Rami Dudin as a group strategy director. He previously worked at Publicis, where he led strategy for Heineken Canada and Canadian Tire, and Cossette, where he worked on the SickKids strategy.
New hires—Naked
Naked Creative has hired Kelley Doris as its new creative director. She was most recently with theturnlab, and held earlier career stops at Critical Mass, Fuse, and Klick.
Meanwhile the agency also promoted three long-term team members including Matt McChesney to vice-president and managing director. “I’ve known Matt for decades and without question, Naked is in the right hands,” said president Peter Shier.
Working alongside McChesney will be David Kenyon as vice-president of strategy, and Laura Mahon (on maternity leave until October) as vice-president, digital, content and production.
Shier will remain as Naked’s president, working with the senior team and helping grow the agency’s business. “This investment in our creative and operational leadership, and recognition of our senior talent, invigorates and positions Naked perfectly for our next chapter,” he said.
New hires—Nurun
Nurun has hired Eric Noël as executive vice-president, managing director, leading the agency’s day-to-day operations and responsible for accelerating collaborations with Publicis Groupe in Canada. He will report to Mathieu Roy, executive president of Publicis in Quebec.
Noël has 25 years of experience in the digital and technology space, has taught digital strategy at HEC Montreal for the last 14 years, and held several executive leadership positions in technology and advertising companies.
“It is a privilege to be able to collaborate with a leader of Eric’s calibre,” said Roy. “His knowledge of technology platforms, coupled with his ability to understand business ecosystems and translate them into operational vision, makes him an exceptional asset for our talent and clients.”
