Padulo Integrated of Toronto has enticed David Deacon out of his short-lived retirement from the ad business to take over as managing director and chief operating officer of the agency.

Deacon, former vice-chairman and chief financial officer of Lowe SMS, was said to be retiring to concentrate on his music career with his band The Word when he left the agency shortly after its merger with Roche Macaulay & Partners in July.

He had retired from full-time employment at Lowe SMS in February 1995.

Deacon says that although he intended to leave the business, he was intrigued with the idea of working with agency President and ceo Rick Padulo.

Deacon spent nine years in the brokerage industry and ran Porsche Canada for three years before starting Deacon Day Advertising in 1987.

The u.k.-based Lowe Group, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, later bought 49% of the agency.

At the end of 1993, it was merged with Scali McCabe Sloves to form Lowe SMS after Lowe bought New York-based Scali McCabe Sloves Group.

The recent influx of new talent to Padulo also includes John Boniface, who has signed on as senior vice-president, group account director.

Boniface started his career with Carling Breweries. He was manager, sales/marketing integration when he moved to Vickers & Benson in 1989 where he worked on Molson, Old South, Amstel, Pennzoil, Cantel, Sunoco, Baton/CFTO and Royal Doulton businesses.

Kevin McLellan, previously with V&B Direct, has joined Padulo as account director on the cibc business. McLellan has also worked at Doubleday Canada, Southam Books, Medicus Intercon Canada and Thomson Health Care Communications.

In addition, the agency has added two new account managers, Joanne Masse on cibc, Tip Top Tailors and Suzuki Canada, and John Kit on the cibc savings and investment business.