Toronto agency The Local Collective has expanded its leadership team with two new hires, adding Laura Noseworthy (pictured, left) and Omar Morson to its ranks.

Noseworthy joins the Collective as VP of client services, bringing more than a decade of marketing experience at agencies, consultancies and on the client side in government, publishing and the arts. She has led creative and account teams for brands across North America in sectors including cannabis, healthcare and energy. With The Local Collective, Noseworthy will be taking a key role in growing the agency’s team, developing its talent and expanding reach with clients.

Noseworthy said joining the agency was appealing due to its ethos of using local insights to create cultural influence, which “is not only unique, compelling and ultimately effective, but…makes the work more people-focused, the connection to community tighter and the outcomes more meaningful.”

Morson has been hired by the Collective as CD and head of design, bringing more than 20 years of experience to the role. Morson has held leadership roles in design, advertising and branding firms including The Garden and Zulu Alpha Kilo, and has worked on clients ranging from Mini, Budweiser and Kraft to Hard Rock, Corona and Samsung.

He says he is joining the Collective because “individual voices and opinions are encouraged to develop a good idea into something truly special” by the agency’s leadership.

While the new additions definitely represent growth for the agency, it’s not just growth for its own sake, according to Kaitlin Doherty, co-founder and president of The Local Collective.

“We’ve been very deliberate about our growth, and have always believed that the quality of our relationships and work should be the driving force behind it,” she explains. “We have about a 70% average of award-winning work produced on all our client partners’ businesses – that doesn’t happen if you’re focused just on size. We intend to continue this process: growth through the quality, not through quantity.”