Rethink’s creative director of design Hans Thiessen (left) and ACD Sheldon Rennie.

Rethink has ended 2018 with a new creative appointment to its national leadership team.

Hans Thiessen, creative director of design based in the agency’s Vancouver office, has been made a partner, joining the shop’s national leadership team. Ian Grais, founding partner at Rethink, says design has always been a major part of the agency’s work, and says having Thiessen on the national team will help it continue to be a leader in the discipline across the country.

Thiessen joined Rethink in 2013 from Calgary’s Wax, where his work for the Calgary Society for Persons with Disabilities helped earn the agency a rare Black Pencil from D&AD. Since coming to Rethink, he has worked with clients including IKEA, Uber, Nike, EA, Molson Coors and WestJet, as well as RGD’s DesignThinkers 2017 conference, which helped the agency pick up a Silver Design Agency of the Year win in 2017.

In other creative appointments at Rethink, Sheldon Rennie has been promoted to associate creative director in Vancouver. Rennie – who was previously both a UX/UI design and art director at Rethink – joined the agency in 2013 and has worked with clients including A&W, Skip The Dishes, Coast Capital Savings and Evo Car Share.

The latest appointments round out a busy year in Rethink’s creative department across Canada. On top of hiring Christina Yu as managing partner, creative, the agency has also made CD and ACD appointments in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. It has also picked up new business with WestJet and the Ontario Science Centre.