Diamond has hired Simon Craig as its new creative director and Erin Banting as VP of strategy.

Diamond is continuing to build on its momentum with two new additions to its creative and strategy practices.

On the creative side, Diamond has hired Simon Craig as its new creative director. Craig had been working on a freelance basis since 2019, but previously co-founded and led his own agency, Send+Receive. He has also worked at agencies including BBDO, John St. and Lowe Roche, and has had a hand in numerous noteworthy projects, including the “Para Expansion Pack” for the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Doritos’ “Ketchup Tribute”. Of his new role, Craig says he has “always connected with smart, scrappy, independent shops” that are “hell-bent on getting great stuff done.”

Additionally, Erin Banting is joining the agency as vice president of strategy, a role in which she will report to Jon Crowley, SVP of strategy at Diamond. Banting’s addition to the agency’s strategy practice follows that of recently-named chief strategy officer Lori Davison.

Banting moves from No Fixed Address, where she had served as VP and oversaw the agency’s PR practice. At NFA, she worked on projects including SickKids Airbnb (with Davison, who was at that time was chief brand officer for the non-profit), ROM’s “#MyPandemicStory” and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s “Lolli” and “Happy Birthday,” among others.

The two additions are the latest for Diamond since appointing Peter Ignazi as its first chief creative officer in late 2022. In the interim, it has also recruited creative director Anand Iyer, won new assignments with the Toronto Zoo, Accor Hotels North America and Ontario Tourism, and continued to deliver on its remits for existing clients TD, Tim Hortons, SkipTheDishes and TheScore Bet.