Ad industry non-profit NABS has announced a number of changes ahead of its 40th year of operation.

Four directors have resigned from the non-profit’s volunteer board after lengthy terms: Vito Rezza, treasurer; Kate Torrance, director of the marketing portfolio; Samia Chebeir, director of the advisory board for BEC in Quebec; and Rosetta Heckhausen, director and interim co-chair of the board.

Their departures made room on the board for several new directors to begin their terms. They include François Canuel, president of Tam Tam\TBWA, replacing Chebeir as director of the BEC advisory board; Yan Du, VP of finance at Mediabrands Canada, replacing Rezza as treasurer; and Jack Latulippe, CCO at No Fixed Address, replacing Torrance as director of the marketing portfolio.

In addition, Tom Shipman, who had served as interim co-chair with Heckhausen since June 2021, was unanimously elected chair of the board.

“As we shape NABS’ future, including celebrating important milestones in 2023 – NABS’ 40th and BEC’s 20th anniversaries – input from the industry at various levels is critically important,” Shipman said. Shipman is also a partner and director of strategic solutions at Vancouver’s Mediology.

One of the new board’s first actions was appointing two staff to newly-created roles within the organization to lead on its anniversary initiatives.

After stepping down from the board, Heckhausen has been appointed NABS’ managing director, a newly-created position that will provide leadership and execution of those anniversary efforts.

Heckhausen has spent more than 25 years as a business development advisor in the marketing and media industries. She was also the long-time publisher of Applied Arts, in addition to being a former associate publisher of strategy.

Libby Begg, meanwhile, has been appointed to the new role of NABS’ communications director to oversee communications efforts related to the organization’s anniversary initiatives.

Begg was most recently publisher at The Message. Prior to that, she was a group publisher at Rogers Communications, leading trade outlets Marketing Magazine and Canadian Grocer.

NABS will release details regarding its anniversary celebrations early this year.