Dominique Villeneuve departs A2C

After 16 years at the helm, Association of Communication Creative Agencies (A2C) president and CEO Dominique Villeneuve is leaving her role.

Villeneuve’s last day with A2C was Friday, as she moves into a new job as CEO of the Greater Montreal Hotel Association, which she’ll begin in August. In her new role, Villeneuve will represent the association’s members within Montreal’s tourism industry.

Brigitte Doucet will take on Villeneuve’s former position at A2C on an interim basis until a new CEO is appointed. Villeneuve says that A2C’s board of directors has started its recruitment process, with a nomination expected in early fall.

Interim general manager Brigitte Doucet has worked with A2C since March as director of strategic projects. Prior to A2C, she worked in a variety of roles for the Pauline-Julien Room, the Office of the Minister of Culture and Communications, the Quebec Association of Media Production and the Copyright Board of Canada.

Mod Op acquires Evans Hunt

U.S. full-service digital marketing agency Mod Op has made a move to strengthen its Canadian presence with the acquisition of Evans Hunt.

Evans Hunt, a Calgary-headquartered full-service digital agency, was acquired by Mod Op for its expertise in marketing, strategy, branding, user research, campaign work, website and product development, and more. The Canadian agency is Mod Op’s largest acquisition to date and is intended to strengthen its presence in Canada, especially in the travel and tourism, energy and telecom sectors.

The Calgary agency was first established in 2008. It’s portfolio has included long-term clients such as Rogers, Travel Alberta, Glassdoor, Cenovus, Alterra and Brookfield Residential.

Evans Hunt isn’t the first Canadian agency to be acquired by Mod Op. It made a similar move in January 2023 when it acquired the Toronto-based, full-service creative agency Context Creative, which was Mod Op’s first international acquisition.

Mod Op says its newest acquisition underscores its mission to integrate AI-enabled tech with human creativity.

“As with our other acquisitions, including Toronto-based Context Creative, we’re confident that overlaying Mod Op’s blend of data and human creativity to the Evans Hunt practice will allow for further growth. With over 170 team members country-wide, we’re excited to further our commitment to being one of the leading independent agencies in Canada,” Mod Op CEO Eric J. Bertrand said.

Mod Op is based in Miami, but boasts offices across the U.S. and internationally in Panama City and Toronto. It’s worked on creative and strategy for such brands as Nestle, Duracell, ExxonMobil and VTech.

Mod Op also recently acquired LAM Design and Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners, which along with Evans Hunt, signals its move towards bringing in more integrated, full-service offerings in marketing communications.