Hires and promotions
Toronto’s Church+State continues to expand its team and client roster after rebranding from The Tite Group earlier this year. The shop specializing in branded content and advertising has added Annie Constantinescu as an account manager (previously from Fuse), Greg Millstein as an account director (from Publicis) and Jon Barnes as a senior art director (former of Taxi and Grip). The three hires will support recent client wins, including Duuo, Hill Street Beverage and Walmart Canada.
Montreal agency Braque has named Olivier Vormus as director of digital strategy, a role that comes with oversight of the shop’s digital media, analytics, data, social media and content marketing offering. In addition, Jessica d’Anjou joins the team as project lead.
Lifestyle and entertainment PR shop Penelope PR has named Richelle Umali as a partner. She joins agency founder Tiffany Astle in the role, following her return to the agency earlier this year after an eight year hiatus. Umali’s experience includes time at High Road Communications, INK Entertainment, Citizen Relations and Narrative.
New business and other news
The David Foster Foundation, a charity offering financial assistance for non-medical expenses for families of children requiring a major organ transplant, has picked Toronto-based LMA Communications and Siren Communications to oversee digital communications and public relations, respectively. As part of their remit, the shops will work on an awareness campaign to be launched early next year.
Montreal agency Zendatamarketing has rebranded as Symplify. The change follows the shop’s 2015 acquisition by Stockholm-based Compost Marketing Group, which has decided to unify its different brands across Europe, America and Asia under one identity.
Media
Canadian QSR Pizza Pizza has picked IPG Mediabrands shop Media Experts as its new media AOR, after working a number of years with Media Dimensions. The move will see the pizza chain consolidate its media strategy, planning and buying nationally for both its flagship Pizza Pizza brand, as well as its Edmonton-based Pizza 73 brand (for Media in Canada subscribers only).
Vancouver-based digital agency Noise has won an assignment with Vega, the plant-based sports nutrition company known for producing protein powder, bars and other snacks. The shop’s mandate includes brand strategy, mass media strategy and programmatic media spending and planning (for Media in Canada subscribers only).
Tim Castree has been named North American CEO of WPP’s media investment arm GroupM, where he will work at improving strategy and operations across the U.S. and Canada. He moves into the position having served as global CEO of GroupM media agency network Wavemaker, and will be based in New York (for Media in Canada subscribers only).
