DDB North America has appointed Eve Rémillard-Larose as its CEO for its Canadian operations.

Rémillard-Larose, most recently a co-managing partner for Sid Lee Toronto (where she worked for the better part of the past two decades), joins the agency with a clear mandate to bolster its operations, lead go-to-market strategy for its businesses and drive integration across its brands under a single DDB Canada banner. Those DDB brands are Anderson Health & Wellness, digital and CRM agency Track DDB and the main DDB Canada creative agency, which has offices in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.

She replaces Kevin Brady, who departed the agency in February, in the role.

DDB has has a tumultuous few years in Canada. In 2020, it restructured following the resignation of then-CEO and CCO Brent Choi.

Brady was elevated to CEO from his previous leadership post at Anderson, while Frank Palmer came out of retirement to take over the agency’s Vancouver office with business partner Bob Stamnes (the pair has since fully acquired the office from DDB, running it as independent agency PS&Co). The restructuring also came with the departure of other creative leaders, something that also happened during a previous restructuring in 2018.

Rémillard-Larose says her hiring is part of a larger shift within the agency that aims to re-establish DDB Canada “as the iconic shop that molds and shapes the best creative minds.”

“DDB has a great legacy as a creative shop, and through the years, has had a reputation for developing incredible creative talent. Currently, we are in the midst of a global creative transformation and we are building to become the future-forward integrated creative powerhouse,” she adds. “I believe that by putting creativity at the heart of every conversation and working as one team across Canada, we will reignite DDB’s story in Canada as well as develop and elevate our creative talent.”

Rémillard-Larose says that her first priority will be getting to know the people – both within the agency, and at the agency’s clients – in order to find “shared ambition” and “collectively find a way to deliver against it.” She also sees diversity and inclusion as a key part of her role. “I want to get to know everybody on the team on a personal level and set the conditions for them to bring their full selves to work every day.”

Rémillard-Larose will report to Justin Thomas-Copeland, DDB North America’s president and CEO.

“In order to have a strong, connected DDB North America, we need a strong DDB Canada. Eve will play a vital role in making it shine and fostering borderless partnerships with our U.S. agencies, to deliver the most powerful creative solutions to clients,” says Thomas-Copeland.