Peter Ignazi and Carlos Moreno will join Cossette’s Toronto office as chief creative officers, after agency president Gerry Frascione confirmed Friday they would be stepping down as ECDs at BBDO.

The pair’s last day at BBDO will be Feb. 27, according to the agency.

Ignazi and Moreno have been with BBDO for almost nine years, and were appointed ECDs in 2010, working with clients including RBC and Campbell’s.

Dave Lafond, president of Cossette in English Canada, says bringing Ignazi and Moreno aboard to lead Cossette’s creative will allow Glen Hunt, chief transformation officer, to return his focus to leading the agency’s ongoing transformation that began when Lafond and Hunt joined in 2013. Hunt was leading creative as interim CCO following the departure of Matthew Litzinger last summer.

Cossette expanded into the U.S. last spring, opening a Chicago office to handle creative for McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, and Lafond says Cossette’s expansion efforts will be focused on plans for that market.

“We’ve been on a journey the last year and half transforming the agency and investing in a lot of areas, so now was the time for Glen to resume his role,” he says.

The McDonald’s account also led to Cossette hiring Steve Groh as VP last month.

Ignazi and Moreno both say joining a new agency after nearly nine years provides both a new challenge and a new opportunity.

“Our focus will be finding integrated solutions for our clients, like we’ve always done, but now we have a new canvas and new clients,” Ignazi says. “They’re all completely new brands to us. We’ve been at BBDO and had a great run with their clients, but we’re ready for a new opportunity.”

Moreno adds: “If you look at the entire offering, including the media arm, it gives us so much more power and flexibility in terms of building and bringing new ideas to the table.”

BBDO will be leaning on its associate creative directors until a successor is appointed, Frascione says. “I love these guys,” he says of Ignazi and Moreno. “It’s been a fantastic run for just over eight years and I will miss them.”

Pictured, from left to right: Jason Chaney, SVP head of strategic planning, Carlos Moreno, Peter Ignazi and David Lafond.

With files from Josh Kolm