Spark*Advocacy has added another veteran journalist to its ranks with the hiring of Peter Mansbridge, who became a household name as chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of The National.

Mansbridge brings more than five decades of experience in journalism to the agency, where “his unparalleled experience, deep understanding of the media landscape, as well as great storytelling abilities, will help to build upon the current mix of experience and services at Spark*Advocacy,” says Perry Tsergas, the agency’s president and CEO.

Since his departure from the CBC in 2017, Mansbridge has maintained his position as a leading voice in Canadian media. During the 2019 federal election, he launched the political podcast The Bridge, which has become a leader in the Canadian market. He also writes The Buzz, a weekly newsletter for National Newswatch, and is a bestselling author and public speaker.

In his role as senior counsel, Mansbridge says he will bring his “focus on accuracy, credibility and depth” to the agency, and “enable our clients to access that trust.”

“Peter and I have talked about the opportunity to do more work together for many years, and I am delighted that we are going to collaborate this way now,” says Bruce Anderson, founding partner and chief strategy officer for Spark. “He’ll strengthen the quality of our advice, our creative, research and media service offering, and help grow the knowledge base of our team.”

The agency recruited veteran journalist Annette Goerner to lead its PR earlier in the fall.