Hires and promotions
Toronto agency Conversion Digital has made three senior appointments. David MacLeod, whose experience includes leadership roles at American Express and LoyaltyOne, is promoted to chief strategy officer. In addition, formerly from Ariad Communications, Marnie Kramarich and Jeff Moores join as SVP of client solutions and VP of client services, respectively, to help strengthen Conversion’s expertise in Salesforce, content strategy and client services expertise. The agency has done work for Cineplex, Second Cup, LCBO, Kobo, Scotiabank, SiriusXM, Primus and Mackenzie Financial.
Émilie Roy has joined Montreal creative agency BLVD as director of operations, where she will work alongside Michèle Bertrand, Mathieu Gosselin et Jean-Sébastien Girard as part of the executive team. Roy was previously an events marketing manager at Telus Health and a project leader at Montreal-based non-profit Leucan.
DentsuBos Montreal has added to its team with the hiring of Siname Pogossian as an English copywriter, Isabelle Mrvica as an account supervisor and Sabrina Giguère as an intern on the accounts team.
After spending nearly two years as an account manager with Nata PR, Marie-Ève Chartrand has been promoted to account director of the Montreal office. She will report to the shop’s Toronto president and vice-president.
New business and other news
Parisian fashion brand Longchamp has picked Brill Communications as its Canadian AOR as it looks to expand its presence in the local market. The brand first entered Canada in 2015 with a flagship store at Toronto’s Yorkdale mall. Bill will be handling a comprehensive PR strategy for the heritage brand.
Chris Lang, chairman of Lang Marketing Network, was named to the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s hall of fame on April 3. The SMCC wanted to recognize Lang for his “uncanny ability to evolve with the market, recognizing trends before they happen, and always positioning himself at the forefront of change.”
Pride in Advertising and Marketing (PrideAM) has announced its intention to expand to North America. ICA president and CEO Scott Knox – who founded PrideAM in the U.K. to support LGBTQ talent in the industry and advocate for fair representation in communications and creative – will be holding meetings in Toronto in April and New York in May to determine a path forward for the organization here, with an open invitation for LGBTQ staff in the industry to attend.
Media
In its latest push into the media space, Loblaw is testing an opt-in advertising service that enables CPG brands to place ads in front of its PC Optimum loyalty program members. In turn, members are rewarded for seeing the ads when they browse the web or social media. (Full story for Media in Canada subscribers).
Corus Entertainment has acquired the Canadian division of Kin, a digital lifestyle and creator company aimed at millennial women. The decision to acquire 100% of Kin’s Canadian operations follows an initial $12 million investment from Corus in 2014. (Full story for Media in Canada subscribers).
Alexandre Hénault, formerly VP of digital sales at Quebecor, has been appointed to lead the Quebec office of MightyHive, a digital and programmatic consultancy. He has been tasked with assembling a small team to lead the shop’s service offerings in the French-speaking market. (Full story for Media in Canada subscribers).
