This story was originally published in the fall 2022 issue of strategy.

By Will Novosedlik

Given the leadership changes Cossette has experienced over the last year, perhaps it’s not surprising that, when he was asked about the biggest challenge the agency has faced of late, president (Ontario and West) Daniel Shearer had a simple answer: “People, people, people.”

For Shearer, it’s become all about finding the best talent and making sure they have both the space and the backing they need to be successful.

“We have never been more focused on supporting our people through the mental health challenges of being working parents with kids yanking at their shirttails every five minutes,” he says. “Or of living alone and struggling with pandemic loneliness and isolation. Or living in multi-generational households where there just isn’t enough space to jump on a phone call. Trying to provide consistency and quality to our clients in those conditions has been a unique challenge.”

But, despite these and other hurdles, Cossette has attracted top-drawer talent over the last year who will help shape the agency for years to come.

After several months and an extensive search, for example, Cossette recently named Sabaa Quao as its new CCO. Quao brings three decades of entrepreneurial experience in Canada and Europe, building platforms and companies in the tech, content and cultural spaces, to the role. That news came only weeks after the agency hired a swath of senior creatives to work on the McDonald’s Canada account, led by new ECD Jason Hill.

Then there’s Jessica Borges, who now heads up Cossette’s multicultural practice, Koo. Or consider Max Macbeth, who will lead strategy in the Vancouver office, and Montreal-based Louis Mathieu, who becomes head of digital strategy for the agency.

Despite all the senior personnel changes and challenges that came with them, the agency kept right on trucking over the last year – including some exciting new business wins. Indigo named Cossette as its AOR just in time to help it celebrate its 25th anniversary. BRP also signed on, giving Cossette exposure in the 117 markets in which its products are sold.

Then there’s Google, for which Cossette is working on the YouTube and Pixel 6 accounts. And, to top off the list of new clients, Weight Watchers (now branded WW) and Quebec Tourism added their names to the roster.

But don’t expect the agency to dwell on the year that was or to shy away from more change if it helps the agency grow. Now in its fiftieth year, Cossette is firmly focused on the road ahead.

Says Shearer: “We’re taking this milestone as a natural opportunity to look at the next five, if not 50, years. You can expect to see lots of change.”

Key New Business
Indigo, Movember, Ledn, Pacific National Exhibition Playland, VGH, UBC Hospital Foundation, AAA Heidelberg

Offices
Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver

Staff
634

Design AOY Cases

1. Cossette designed a Canadian Media Manifesto for the CMDC that uses danger-sign starkness to radiate urgency and enlist investment in local media organizations. As a result, almost 600 media directors have pledged to support the campaign and buy local.

2. For the Bentway Conservancy, a 169,000-sq-ft public space located under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, Cossette created tons of original art, as well as a wayfinding and design system that encourages exploration and engagement.

3. Cossette recently helped the World Anti-Doping Agency update its image using playing field imagery that conveys the fair play conditions the organization represents. Launched in January 2022, the transformation has made the branding far more memorable.