Building upon its expansion plans north of the border, VaynerMedia Canada has hired Grace Mitchell as its first group creative director.

In the new role, Mitchell will be expected to build VaynerMedia Canada’s creative team and execute the company’s creative model with its Canadian brand partners, as VaynerMedia expands into the market. She’ll report directly to VP, country manager Jeanny Ponce.

“I’ve been a fan of their work over the years and have always appreciated the solid reputation they have in the industry,” Mitchell says. “VaynerMedia genuinely approaches modern creative in a way that nobody else does, so bringing that magic to a brand-new market felt super exciting to me.”

After quietly operating in Canada for five years with a Toronto outpost servicing the Mondelez media business, VaynerMedia officially launched its full-service Canadian agency in March this year.

Mitchell has worked on content strategy, social media and integrated campaigns for more than a decade, and will lead new creative offerings in VaynerMedia’s Toronto office. She previously worked as creative director for Vice Media and Refinery29.

Ponce says that VaynerMedia Canada has been focused on growing its team this year, and that it will continue in 2024.

“Our approach has been based on two pillars: one, talent acquisition to make sure we have all key local players and two, identifying new clients that are willing to try our model and are looking to be relevant to consumers,” Ponce says.

Looking ahead to 2024, new client acquisition and market expansion with French Canada are also important areas that VaynerMedia intends to focus on.