Mathieu Roy (left) and Duncan Bruce.

Publicis has added to its leadership, hiring Mathieu Roy as executive president in Quebec.

In the newly created role, Roy will oversee both creative agency Publicis Montréal and tech agency Nurun. He will also join Publicis Groupe Canada’s executive committee. Roy’s first day with the agency is Dec. 7.

Roy says his focus in the new role will be helping the agency grow, both in terms of client business and internal talent.

The new position also replaces the roles of Publicis Montreal president Rachelle Claveau and Nurun president Christian Ayotte. An agency spokesperson said both leaders left the agency earlier this week.

Duncan Bruce, CEO of Publicis Canada, said Roy’s experience will be put to use collaborating with other Publicis Groupe agencies, specifically calling out digital transformation agency Razorfish, CRM agency Hawkeye and data platform Epsilon. Yves Gougoux, chairman of Publicis Canada, added that Roy’s hiring is a “milestone” for the agency.

“The Québec market is very important and key to Publicis Canada, a multicultural organization that believes Québec is a key component of its national strength and success. Having witnessed the already strong connection and shared vision between Mathieu and Duncan, I have no doubt that it will result in great accomplishments for Publicis and Nurun in Québec and nationally.”

Roy joins from Cossette, where he was hired as SVP of business strategy in 2020. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with Lg2, which included stints as the agency’s president in Montreal and national chief client officer.

Claveau joined Publicis as its Montreal president in 2016, joining from a similar role at FCB. Ayotte had been with Nurun for more than six years, and was named president in 2018.