McCann has recruited from within the network to fill its CSO role in Canada.

Amanda Jones joins the Canadian arm of the agency from McCann Bucharest, with the mandate to bring together the shop’s strategy departments in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary as “one cohesive discipline,” according to Ryan Timms, president of McCann Canada.

Jones fills the role left vacant when McCann Canada’s previous CSO Dustin Rideout left in January for Juniper Park\TBWA.

The strategy exec has been with McCann for a decade, starting her career at McCann Erickson in the U.K., to most recently being the CSO at McCann Bucharest – the agency’s regional hub for Central and Eastern Europe – where she led the strategy for brands such as MasterCard, Coca Cola, Ikea, Vodafone and Yum Group.

Timms says Jones’ international experience is one of the reasons she was selected for the role.

“What we’re seeing is that for both the international brands that we work on here in Canada, as well as the domestic brands, being able to provide global perspective – not just on their businesses per se, but on culture and the trends that are shaping what is driving consumer behaviour – is just becoming increasingly important,” Timms says.

Timms adds that because Jones has worked in multiple markets in Europe – experiencing different dialects, ethnicities, cultures and religions – she is positioned well for Canada’s multicultural market. Jones also has global connections across the network and can draw on people with specific expertise to help elevate the agency’s Canadian work, he says.

“We really loved the fact that Amanda had this experience… and is deeply connected to the entire McCann network.”

Jones started with McCann Canada on Dec. 1. She is based out of McCann’s Toronto office.