Rethink has added a new creative leader, recruiting Fernando Hernández as group creative director.

Hernández joins the agency from R/GA New York, where he has been working as ECD for the past year. He has more than 15 years of experience in the industry across Latin and North America, including with Leo Burnett in its offices both in Toronto and his home country, Colombia. He has worked across a wide variety of global brands including Apple, Google and Coca Cola. During his time with Leo Burnett Toronto, he also worked with IKEA Canada and Kraft Heinz Canada, which are now Rethink clients.

Hernández has been hired amid continued growth for the independent shop as it continues to add new clients and expand mandates with existing ones both in Canada and the U.S. Among his more notable achievements is the Cannes Grand Prix-winning “Cancertweets” campaign for the League Against Cancer, as well as the “Love Has No Labels” campaign for the Ad Council.

The move to Rethink represents a first for Hernández, who has never been part of an independent agency, even though it is something he has always been attracted to, he says.

“It was just a matter of finding the right moment and the right partner,” he adds. “The work that I see coming out of Rethink on the weekly is the type of work that I want to be doing, and the culture is something I want to be a part of.”

Though he is currently residing in New York, Hernández will be relocating to Toronto to take on his new role.

Last year, Rethink restructured its offices, giving each one its own management team. That also included adding new tiers within its disciplines; in creative, Loretta Lau and Michelle Spivak were promoted to group creative director to manage teams across all clients.