MARKETERS

Aeroplan is taking off. Rob Shields has been plucked from HBC – where he was VP customer relationship – to head up the loyalty program’s brand expansion as VP, partnerships. Shields helped HBC create its loyalty program. Aeroplan, which recently signed Esso, Future Shop and Bell, is ‘looking for overall program expansion,’ says Shields, especially in the areas of travel, financial and retail.

On-again off-again tech retailer RadioShack Canada is on again following the court ruling earlier this year which allowed the company to maintain ownership of its brand in Canada. So recently, it’s hired Andrew Resnick as MD, who is expected to reinvigorate the Canadian division of the Texas-based company, which plans to open upwards of 20 stores here by the end of 2005. Resnick was previously SVP, operations and marketing for Timothy’s World Coffee.

Kraft Canada’s Tim Berman has been promoted from customer VP, Loblaws to VP, customer development organization. In the expanded role, Berman, who has been with the company for over 25 years, will now oversee all retail.

AGENCIES

Max Lenderman, formerly VP/CD of Gearwerx, a youth-marketing agency, has left to join Chicago’s GMR Marketing as CD. Gearwerx co-founder and president Adam Starr says that the Montreal-based agency is now conducting a search to find a replacement with creative prowess, but a strategic and analytical background as well. ‘Those are the areas where we need to support [the agency] at this point,’ he says.

Leo Burnett’s integrated arm Arc has gone on a hiring spree, as a result of new client work and four recent wins from its biggest client, Kellogg U.S., according to CD Shirley Ward-Taggart. Brian Chung joins as integration supervisor; John Hogan as technology solutions manager; Natasha Dagenais and Jay Campbell as project managers; Lauren Miller as copywriter and Kendal Warrick as junior project manager.

RMG:connect, JWT’s relationship marketing division (until this past

Jan. 1 known as Go Direct Marketing) continues its rebranding and

restructuring. In the Vancouver office, Vanessa Rumbold has been promoted to MD and Denise Jasienczyk strategic planning director. In Toronto, Derrick Cho has been hired as MD and Brendan Kenalty as an account director. The agency’s client base includes Telus in Vancouver and global-client HSBC. Rumbold says the agency is bulking

up its resources in Canada to respond to client demand.