Pictured, from left to right: ECD Ian Mackenzie, president Andrea Cook and SVP of strategy Kim Farwell.

Rivet, the data-driven creative agency that operates within FCB, has announced a pair of hires to lead its creative and strategy teams.

Ian Mackenzie has been hired as executive creative director, a new role within the agency. He’s been tasked to work with Todd Henwood, VP and creative director at Rivet, to lead the agency’s creative work and “vitalize” its creative processes.

Mackenzie joins from KBS Toronto, where he’s worked since 2014 as creative director and ECD. He also has experience working on the creative teams at Tribal Worldwide Canada and Grip. Last week, KBS announced it had hired Laura Kim as an ECD, filling Mackenzie’s previous role.

On the strategy side, Kim Farwell has been hired as SVP of strategy. Though technically a new position within Rivet, Farwell helps fill a leadership position in the agency’s strategy department following the departure of Paul Kron, VP and director of strategic planning, earlier this year.

Farwell has had a number of senior roles in the marketing departments of The Nationwide Group and American Express, the latter of which saw her take roles in Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. She also held a consulting position with Couch & Associates, and began her career on the agency side with shops including Bensimon Byrne, Ogilvy and MacLaren McCann.

Andrea Cook, who became president of Rivet in January, says both of the new leaders have been brought on to bring experienced vision and leadership to an expanding team at the agency.

“I can send an email with results at the end of a campaign, but that doesn’t make you a data expert,” Cook says. “Every client needs different things at different times, and hiring people who know how to work with data inside and out will help us give our clients exactly what they need, when they need it.”

Since Cook took over Rivet, the agency has brought on 20 other new hires, bringing its total head count to 57 employees. While part of the expansion has been in response to new client work, Cook says the hires also represent an increased investment in the creative, strategy and tech capabilities at Rivet .

“Tech, strategy and creative are at the core of what we aim to do, and our clients are excited about us bringing on talent with these kinds of expertise,” Cook says.

Other staff to join Rivet this year include Jacob Ciesielski, a veteran of data and CRM-focused companies including Proximity, InfoCanada and Cornerstone, as VP of data and technology; Vicki Waschkowski, previously of The Marketing Store, Kenna, MacLaren MRM and FCB Direct (which is how Rivet was known), as VP and group account director; and Krystle Mullin, previously a copywriter at FCB, who has moved over to Rivet as an associate creative director.