Movers & Shakers

CLIENTS:

The Bay has finally hired a new senior VP of marketing, following a search that began last spring. Neil Fedun, previously group VP, creative director with New York-based Federated Department Stores (owner of Macy’s) assumes the retailer’s senior marketing post May 1. His retail experience also includes stints with Woodward’s, Simpson’s, Zellers and the Hong Kong department store chain Lane Crawford.

Corby Distilleries has named Mike Minchin its new VP, marketing. Minchin, who replaces Joanne Bjarnason, has been with Corby’s parent company Allied-Domecq for about four years, most recently as global marketing director on whiskies. His priority, he says, will be focusing the distiller’s marketing efforts on its core brands.

Kia Canada has appointed John Wright its new VP, sales and marketing. Wright, who will also hold the title of COO with the Mississauga, Ont.-based automaker, has extensive sales and marketing experience, having held positions with Toyota, Fiat, BMW and Hyundai.

ECMarket, a Vancouver-based Internet business-to-business auction company, has named Janet Wood its new VP of sales and marketing. Wood comes to the position with 16 years of sales and management experience with IBM Canada.

Eli Lilly Canada has a new VP of marketing. Robert Schmid has been with the pharmaceutical company since 1985, working in both its U.S. and global operations. Before taking this new post, he was director of commercial affairs for CNS products at Lilly’s head office in the U.S.

AGENCIES:

Garry Lee is the latest senior executive to jump the Padulo Integrated ship. The former VP, group account director is now president of Toronto’s Cundari Integrated Advertising. He joins fellow Padulo alumnus Peter Day, who left the agency a few months ago to become Cundari’s executive VP, creative director.

Jim Herrler has been promoted to senior VP, managing director of Palmer Jarvis DDB’s Toronto office. Herrler, who joined the agency two years ago as VP and general manager, will be charged with building the business and developing new divisions designed to further PJDDB’s evolution into an integrated agency – among them, DDB Digital and DDB Response.

Mary Mills has joined Toronto-based Young & Rubicam as senior VP, strategic planning director. She comes from J. Walter Thompson, where she was VP, strategic planning director. Also new to Y&R is

Angela Mandrish, who assumes the post of VP, director interactive. Mandrish worked previously with New York-based interactive firm Studio Archetype (Sapient).

Diane Davy is the new president of Toronto-based NextMedia. Previously the publisher of Greey de Pencier (Owl) Books, Davy was hired for her experience in communications, children’s TV and new media.

MEDIA:

CHUM Television has promoted Stephen Tapp to VP, general manager of Citytv and CablePulse24. Tapp will also continue in his role as VP, general manager of ChumCity International, which oversees distribution of the broadcaster’s programming around the world. Maria Hale, meanwhile, has been appointed managing director of ChumCity Interactive. The former launch director for Excite Canada, she’ll be responsible for overseeing development of CHUM’s eight Web sites.

National Post Online has brought Marcie Sayiner on board as senior marketing and sales strategist. Sayiner, previously a consultant and media relations manager with the J.C. Williams Group, will oversee research and marketing efforts aimed at helping the daily’s Internet edition build its brand name.

Plesman Communications founder Paul Plesman has stepped down after more than 25 years at the helm of the high-tech trade publishing house. His decision comes in the wake of the company’s acquisition by Transcontinental Publishing last November. Established in 1974, Plesman Communications publishes such titles as Computing Canada and Computer Dealer News.

Shift magazine has appointed a new managing editor. Lisa Cindolo is former managing editor of Details magazine. Meanwhile, Shift is moving its online marketing manager to the Big Apple. Kevin Siu will head up non-traditional media marketing efforts for Shift’s various incarnations.

Cannes Lions 2025: Canadians nab more medals on final festival day

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Friday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the oldest category at the Cannes festival, Film, as well as Sustainable Development Goals, Dan Wieden Titanium, Glass: The Lion for Change and Grand Prix for Good. Canadians were recognized with four Lions today: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.

FCB Toronto was given yet another nod for its work, “The Count,” for SickKids, bringing the medal count for that campaign to four, including a Gold for Health & Wellness. Another Canadian agency recognized on the final day of the festival was Klick Health Toronto, which earned a Silver in Film for its work “Love Captured” for Human Trafficking Awareness and a Bronze for “18 Months” for Second Nurture. And over in Sustainable Development Goals, the Bronze went to Publicis Canada and its “Wildfire Watchtowers” work for Rogers.

Another massive win for Canada included not one, but two Young Lions (pictured above) taking home medals in the annual competition. In Design, the Gold Young Lion was awarded to Rethink’s senior motion designer Jesse Shaw and ACD Zoë Boudreau. The second, a Bronze in Media, went to Cossette Media’s business intelligence analyst Samuel David-Durocher and product development supervisor Tristan Bonnot-Parent.

Film (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

1 SILVER: “The  Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation

“The Count,” a striking campaign from FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation, has earned 1 Gold, 2 Bronze and now 1 Silver for Film at Cannes. If you watch it, it’s easy to see why. The collaboration between brand and agency honoured the hospital’s “VS” platform, while steering it in a new direction from its initial development by previous AOR Cossette. The creative celebrates childhood cancer patients who have to fight for every birthday, while honouring the hospital’s own milestone – 150 years and counting.

 

1 Silver: “Love Captured” by Klick Health Toronto for The Exodus Road

Klick Health Toronto added to its medal tally with a Silver in Film for it’s work “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road. The creative features a romantic getaway that isn’t what it seems in an experiential short film for the global anti-trafficking organization. The experience takes viewers through a tragic and twisting experience of exploitation.

 

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health Toronto for Second Nurture

Klick Health Toronto also won a Bronze in the Film category for its work, “18 Months,” done for the charity organization Second Nurture. The animated film is based on a real-life story in which a same-sex couple adopts a baby found in a subway station, and the 18-month journey into a story of hope.

Sustainable Development Goals (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Wildfire Watchtowers” by Publicis Canada for Rogers

Publicis Canada landed on the winners board for its work, “Wildfire Watchtowers,” for Rogers. The Canadian-developed wildfire-detection tech – which has been billed as “a fire alarm in the forest” – uses AI-powered sensors installed on 5G towers to monitor vast remote areas in real time. By scanning, identifying and reporting early signs of wildfires (up to 16 minutes faster than other systems), the technology helped prevent 54 fires in 2024 alone.

Catch the Gold winners later today when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.