Richard Olsen has replaced Patrick Pitcher as ceo of Saatchi & Saatchi Canada.

Olsen comes from another Cordiant network agency, Cliff Freeman & Partners of New York, where he was executive vice-president and general manager.

Pitcher’s promotion to ceo of Hong Kong-based Saatchi & Saatchi Asia was announced in October.

Olsen has been in the business for more than 20 years, 15 of those with Cordiant agencies.

He began his career in account management at SSC&B Lintas before moving to The Marshalk Company and then to Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (now Saatchi & Saatchi).

There, Olsen met Cliff Freeman. They worked together to create the ‘Where’s the Beef?’ campaign for Wendy’s and in 1987 launched Cliff Freeman & Partners.