Palliser Furniture Group has brought on Steve Ambeau as its first chief marketing officer.

Based out of Toronto, Ambeau has been tasked with creating an overarching digital strategy for both the Palliser brand and EQ3 to help drive further growth across North America. He will also be responsible for leading the growth strategy and consumer-facing communications across channels. His new role is effective June 1.

This is the first time the Palliser Group has had a CMO with responsibility across its brands. That includes Palliser and its family of chairs, couches and other upholstered furniture, as well as EQ3, which also sells other furniture, home decor and has a network of retail stores. The marketing function had previously reported in to chief revenue officer Roger Friesen since 2019, when Palliser restructured its executive team.

Peter Tielmann, CEO of the Palliser Furniture Group, says Ambeau’s international experience and digital background will elevate the company’s marketing and align it across brands, something it has identified as a priority for its long-term goals.

Ambeau was most recently CMO of Rapid RTC, a communications and CRM platform for the automotive industry. He also had a lengthy tenure at BMW, where he held senior marketing roles on the MINI brand in Canada, the U.S. and Germany, and a decade as director of digital media at Gel Communications.