PRINTERS:

Transcontinental Printing’s direct marketing group has promoted Marc Fortier to general manager of its Toronto-based Yorkville Printing operations, a major provider of direct marketing-related products and services. Fortier had been director of sales and marketing at Yorkville since 1998.

AGENCIES:

Wolf Group has named Mike Rutherford as director of customer specific marketing. Most recently vice-president of relationship marketing with Thomas, Crncich & Partners (TC&P), Rutherford now takes on responsibility for all direct marketing initiatives at the agency, including the development of one-to-one relationships between Wolf Group clients and customers. Rutherford, who had been at Canada Post prior to joining TC&P, will work on several accounts, including Altamira, Air Ontario and Scotia Capital.

The Cornerstone Group of Companies has announced a series of promotions at its Toronto-based offices. Justin Webb, formerly senior vice-president of its list management division, moves into the newly created post of senior vice-president of corporate sales. Jim Grant has been appointed vice-president of Cornerstone List Management after his tenure as vice-president of the agency’s list brokerage business. Meanwhile, Karen Lamont replaces Grant after a stint as general manager of Cornerstone List Brokerage, and Jennifer Grant moves up to vice-president of Cornerstone Response Management. She was formerly in charge of that division’s client services department.

ICOM Information & Communications of Toronto has brought Nancy Sprague on board in a bid to enhance the company’s data management services. Sprague has spent 16 years in direct marketing, 10 as president of Prospects Unlimited. Before that, she was president of Cover-All Direct Response, vice-president of Datamark Response, and also held executive positions with Texcom and Southam Direct Marketing Services.

Toronto indie shop Zulu Alpha Kilo had made several new hires and promotions on the heels of new business and also organic growth from existing clients.

Zulu could not officially announce the account wins at this time.

However, it can report that Ece Inan, most recently at Toronto design and tech shop Array of Stars, has been named the agency’s new director of interactive production for Zulubot, the agency’s production arm. In the new role, Inan will lead AR, VR, voice and other digital innovation projects.

Also on the production side, James Graham, who has spent the last 17 years with Grip, has joined the agency as its studio director.

Zulu has also made numerous additions on the client services side, led by Michael Brathwaite, also from Grip, as account director.

It’s also announced a spate of new account supervisors, including Hayley Blackmore (from G Adventures), Risa Kastelic (from BT/A), Kara Oddi (also from BT/A), Emily Anzarouth (also from Grip), Chris Rosario (from FCB/Six) and Sarah Shiff (from Rethink).

In addition to the new hires (pictured above), the agency has also announced several promotions: Alyssa Guttman moves from account director to group account director, while Nina Bhayana, Michelle Fournier, Jenn Gaidola-Sobral and Erin McManus have all been promoted to account director, and Haley Holm to account supervisor. On the strategy team, strategists Carly Miller and Spencer MacEachern have both been promoted to strategy director, while Shaunagh Farrelly, who has been with Zulu for two years in a client service role, moves into a new role as a digital strategist.

In December, the shop also announced that Stephanie Yung would be returning to the agency after a stint in New York as its head of design. Recent wins the agency has been able to announce including work as AOR for the Ottawa Senators, as well as a new arrangement with existing client Consonant Skincare, setting up an in-house team to support growth after taking an equity stake in the company.

Zulu president Mike Sutton says it’s wonderful, in a new year, to welcome new faces and energy to the team and says the agency is fortunate to have had so many people across the agency step up to support its clients.

“Simply put, they were rock stars, and the promotions are very well deserved,” Sutton says.