Cossette has appointed Michel-Alex Lessard as its new chief strategy officer in Montreal.

Lessard has worked in various roles at Cossette for the past 20 years, including as VP of strategy for the past seven. He also has experience in consulting and Cossette’s branding and design division.

Lessard has worked on clients including VIA Rail, the SAQ, Grupo Bimbo Canada, BDC and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. He has excelled at developing “highly creative and results-driven” brand strategies, said Louis Duchesne, president of Cossette Quebec and East, in a release.

In his new role, he will lead the agency’s strategy team within Quebec and is responsible for further developing its areas of expertise.

Lessard replaces former CSO Florence Girod, who in September was appointed as head of culture and integrated product at the agency. She has pivoted to focus more extensively on those duties.

Cat Wiles, who the agency hired in 2019, remains chief strategy officer in the agency’s Toronto office.

The appointment is the latest move Cossette has made within its strategy teams. In February, the agency’s Toronto office hired a new head of strategy and two senior strategy directors.