IPG Health has added to its Canadian leadership team to support the growth and collaboration of its agencies in Canada.

Area 23’s Renee Mellas and Tim Hawkey have had their duties extended to include IPG Health’s operations in Canada. Mellas and Hawkey are currently president and CCO, respectively, of the New York-based health agency, roles they will retain in addition to their new duties.

The existing leadership at IPG Health agencies –  McCann Health Canada’s president Neill Brown and ECD Sean Reilly, and FCB Health Toronto’s managing director Leah Frazer and ECD Ken Schick – will remain in their roles, partnering with Mellas and Hawkey to “optimize the network’s offering” and foster more collaboration.

IPG Health was created last summer, taking McCann Health and FCB Health and re-aligning them under their own healthcare focused network, with each going to market independently but benefiting from shared resources and opportunities for collaboration. That included Area 23, which is part of the FCB P&L at IPG, as well as Area 23 on Hudson, which focuses on medical education.

“Now that we’re united under one banner, our focus is on unlocking greater interconnectivity and interoperability between our Canadian offices and the broader IPG Health network,” Mellas said in a statement.

Last year, Area 23 won two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions for “Sick Beats,” a device it created with tech company Woojer that used haptic feedback from music to help children with cystic fibrosis clear their airways.