To go along with several new hires this year, McCann has elevated a leader within its creative team, promoting creative director Gail Pak to VP and creative director.

Pak, who was hired in 2019, has led the agency’s work with Petro-Canada and Mastercard, along with creative partner Mike Shuman. She will continue those duties in her new role, in addition to taking a more active leadership role in the Toronto office, which include being more involved with new business and leading initiatives to shape the creative culture of the agency and elevate its creative output.

Pak’s promotion is on top of several hires McCann has made this year, done to help it strengthen its “creative talent pool across Canada as the agency continues to grow.”

The most recent additions are the team of copywriter Jon Dick and art director Olivia Hashka, who join the agency from Juniper Park/TBWA.

Last month, McCann hired ACD Steven Davenport, reuniting him with creative partner Andrew Strachan, who the agency hired in January, and giving them creative leadership roles on the Bayer CropScience business. While the duo first teamed up at their most recent gigs at BBDO Toronto, both are also McCann alumni, having each spent a handful of years at the agency back when it still had the MacLaren name.

The agency also added two other ACDs in the spring. In April, it hired Amy O’Neill, who brought experience from Huge, John St. and Tribal DDB, and has been working on McCann’s Nesquik account. In March, McCann hired Athina Afton Lalljee who was most recently head of creative content for Ogilvy Dubai, working for clients including IKEA, KFC, HSBC and Jeep.

Rounding out the recent additions is senior art director Jayme Fairbridge, who joined the agency from Bensimon Byrne in March.

New business at McCann this year includes picking up duties for SkipTheDishes.