Back row, from left: Recent hires AD Angela Vuong, CW Julia Robins, CD Paul Riss, creative resources manager Narissa Ward and AD Caroline Friesen. Front Row: AD Emmanuel Torres and Dan Cummings.

Cundari has added a new creative director, part of a first wave of hires since chief creative officer Sean Barlow took on that role in January.

Paul Riss, a freelancer and former associate creative director at DDB Canada, joins Cundari as the new CD. Riss also spent several years as the senior art director at DDB Toronto and worked as the AD at Publicis. His work at DDB for Subaru and Capital One won numerous awards.

Riss joins a number of other recent additions to Cundari’s creative team, including art directors Angela Vuong, Emmanuel Torres and Caroline Friesen. Vuong joined the agency this month, coming over from Juniper Park\TBWA. Torres, a Young Lions finalist in the print category, came to Cundari in March after AD roles at Clever Samurai and Leo Burnett Toronto, and Friesen joined the agency in May, from Camp Jefferson.

Cundari also added a few copywriters in recent months. Julia Robins joined the agency this month from Juniper Park\TBWA, while Dan Cummings came on board in April after writing gigs at SapientNitro and Cossette. Robbie Percy was hired in January from Trevor/Peter Communications.

Narissa Ward started at Cundari in March in a new creative resources manager role. She had previously worked at The Story Lab and KBS Toronto.

Cundari’s addition of Barlow in January and the promotion of Jennifer Steinmann to the role of president in November signalled a “second generation” of leadership moving into prominent roles, Steinmann said at the time.