McCann Worldgroup has appointed Ian Mackenzie to the new role of chief creative officer for McCann Worldgroup Canada.

Previously the chief creative officer of Performance Art, in his new role, Mackenzie will guide all creative work for the McCann Worldgroup network’s creative operations in Canada, which includes McCann, MRM and Craft, and offices in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. He will also serve as McCann’s global AI creative lead.

Founding CEO of Performance Art, Andrea Cook, is moving into a dual role overseeing the North American L’Oréal business and as McCann’s new chief innovation officer.

The capabilities of Performance Art are aligning under McCann and MRM, and after a transitional period, Performance Art will no longer operate as a separate agency brand.

The appointment comes as Performance Art’s creative technology, CRM, brand strategy and performance work, as well as its teams, will be integrated within McCann and MRM. The company says the move is part of a broader effort by the network to align its specialized capabilities. This includes capabilities that have traditionally been housed within McCann Worldgroup’s boutique agencies, with its power brands of McCann, MRM, FutureBrand and Craft, making the full breadth of the network’s offerings accessible to a wider range of clients.

Mackenzie’s recent award-winning work includes the “Black Elevation Map” for Black & Abroad, which takes cultural data and visualizes them as points of interest on a dynamic, searchable elevation map of North America, overcoming the limited worldview of data bias and providing uplifting ways for travelers to interact with Black-owned businesses and cultural organizations, as well as “The Greatest Guide” for Grupo Bimbo, which used AI and digital mapping to help foodies find more than 8,000 street chefs who were innovating with hot dogs and hamburgers.

Mackenzie has earned more than 500 industry awards, including the Grand Prix in Creative Data at Cannes, the D&AD Black Pencil, Best of Discipline at One Show and the ADC Fusion Cube Grand Prix for DEI. Recently, Performance Art was ranked fourth on the ICA’s 2024 Creative Power List.

“[Mackenzie] joining our team signals a new and incredibly exciting chapter for McCann Worldgroup in Canada,” says Ryan Timms, president, McCann Canada. “We are the most enduring agency in this country, and we’ve achieved that distinction by continuing to innovate and evolve…I can’t think of another creative leader in this country who has continuously delivered world-class work inspired and enabled by what technology and innovation can do to enhance creative thinking.”

Mackenzie joins McCann Canada at a time of continued momentum and accolades for the agency, including being named strategy’s 2023 Bronze Agency of the Year and Silver Digital Agency of the Year in 2022.

McCann’s client roster in Canada includes Mastercard, Smirnoff, and Nespresso and the Canadian Lung Association.