From left to right: Jessica Savage, Sarah Stewart-Browne and Nadia Beale.

MSL Canada and North Strategic have promoted three long-time staff into new leadership roles as one of North’s co-founders prepares to retire.

Effective July 1, Jessica Savage will take over as CEO of MSL Canada, overseeing all PR, influencer and earned media activities at MSL, North and Notch Video. She will also be joining Publicis Groupe’s Canadian leadership team.

Savage is taking over CEO duties from Justin Creally, who has announced his retirement from the agency, effective June 30.

Creally co-founded North Strategic with Mia Pearson in 2011, coming out of leadership roles at High Road. They co-led the agency through things like launching production arm Notch and its 2016 acquisition by Publicis Groupe’s MSL. After that acquisition, Pearson became CEO of MSL within Canada, a role Creally took over after her own retirement last year.

Savage and Sarah Stewart-Browne, who both joined North Strategic shortly after it opened, were both elevated into managing director roles at North when Creally took on his new role last year, with Nadia Beale taking on a corresponding role at MSL. Stewart-Browne and Beale have been named president of North and MSL, respectively. Stewart-Browne will also take a position on the Publicis leadership team in addition to overseeing day-to-day work at North, while Beale will continue to work as executive sponsor of MSL’s P&G Canada account, working directly on programs for the company’s CPG brands.

MSL has had a few other recent promotions. Lauren Thomson was promoted from account director to VP of PR in the fall, while senior director of of digital and social Megan Page was promoted to VP of social and digital last month.