In a bid to deepen its expertise in the CRM space, Publicis has hired Scott Pinkney as its new VP/ECD dedicated to the data mining practice.

In his role, which is still being developed, he’ll work across all Publicis clients in Canada, including WestJet, Canada Post and Home Depot.

CRM was a natural evolution for the agency, says Bryan Kane, president of Publicis Toronto, based on how digital has and continues to transform marketing. Digital makes everything a connected experience, he says, and they wanted to beef up their ability to draw on all the data that exists to better create brand experiences. Pinkney’s first job will be to reach out to clients (many of whom have been asking for more CRM expertise) to see where he can be of most use.

Most recently, Pinkney worked as SVP/CD at BBDO, where he helped build out the agency’s CRM and direct offering. Prior to BBDO, he worked at Rivet/Draftfcb Healthcare as its VP/CD and helped co-found Mosaic Direct + Interactive back in 2002.