From left to right: Mak Kattan, Paul Lipson and Kira Montgomery.

Anomaly Toronto has made a pair of promotions and added a new talent to firm up its strategic leadership in the Canadian market.

Mak Kattan, who has been with the agency since 2017, has been named its head of brand strategy. Kattan has worked on a number of key businesses while at the agency, including Hershey’s, BRP Global and Ancestry, and currently leads on Anomaly’s Capital One and Amazon U.S. accounts – which he played a pivotal role in winning.

Kattan has led strategy on a number of highly-touted campaigns, including Reese’s “ASMR,” Can-Am’s “Offroad Livin'” and Ski Doo’s “Escape Mountain.”

Joining him to co-lead the strategy offering is new addition Kira Montgomery, who has been appointed head of communications strategy. Montgomery has made the move from independent creative agency Juliet, where she had been partner and chief connections officer. An industry veteran with more than a decade of experience in strategy and communications at agencies including McCann, Carat and Grip, as well as the aforementioned Juliet, Montgomery “brings a triple threat of unrivaled comms planning know-how, entrepreneurial spirit and strategic leadership experience,” says Candace Borland, CEO and partner at Anomaly.

“Few places have such an impressive track record of unlocking media spaces that aren’t for sale,” Montgomery says of Anomaly. “It’s an honour to join this talented crew to imagine the next era of work that creates meaningful business and cultural impact.”

Longtime Anomaly employee Paul Lipson, meanwhile, has been promoted to executive strategy director, with a focus specifically on Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI). For the past six years, Lipson has worked as group strategy director on ABI brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light and Shock Top, as well as on Sport Chek and BRP. He has been a key part of the agency’s strategic operations for much of its time in Toronto, and developed much of its most recognizable work: the Budweiser “Red Light,” Bud Light’s “Underplayed,” and Sport Chek’s “Find What Moves You.”

Most recently, Lipson has worked on Stella Artois’ global platform, while also working on Corona and Michelob Ultra.

“These three newly appointed leaders will be absolutely instrumental in bringing the most effective creative solutions to our clients,” says Borland.