Clockwise from top left: Paul Reilly, COO; Diana Brink-Gourlay, SVP, managing director, digital integration; Todd Mackie, CCO; Dom Caruso, president and CEO; Sarah Henderson, EVP and head of planning; and Denise Rossetto, CCO.

Sarah Henderson has joined the leadership team at BBDO Toronto as EVP and head of planning.

A new position at the agency, Henderson will lead an integrated team of brand, communications and analytics strategists on work for Canadian and network-wide accounts. Part of her mandate at BBDO will be to build the agency’s record of creative effectiveness by further integrating data and analytics into the solutions it offers clients.

BBDO already has senior strategists working on brand planning, analytics, digital, social and CRM, but part of Henderson’s role is to bring these capabilities together to deliver more complete, end-to-end programs for clients.

Henderson had previously been at Grip since 2010, most recently as group planning director. She has also held positions at John St., Ammirati Puris and McCann, as well as a two year client-side stint on the marketing team at Labatt. She also worked with BBDO Canada president and CEO Dom Caruso at McCann, and with CCO Denise Rossetto at Ammirati Puris.

Henderson will work closely with Rossetto and co-CCO Todd Mackie, as well as account leaders, to ensure collaboration between strategy and creative. Henderson said one of her goals at BBDO is to use data insights and communications planning to “help inspire creative teams to do even better work.”

“In addition to her professional expertise for the role, we’re hiring Sarah because she’s the perfect fit in terms of chemistry,” Caruso added. “It’s a time of change in advertising, and to navigate that change takes a senior team that works great together.”