Geoff Craig has jumped the fence. The former Unilever VP and GM, brand building, and most recently VP marketing, Maple Leaf, has taken a job agency side as president at Extreme Group.
Replacing Andrew Doyle, who left the agency in November, Craig will be tasked with helping to build the agency, especially in the Toronto market. He will also serve as a catalyst, helping Extreme’s roster of clients to grow their businesses, achieving results through creative solutions, as well as thought leadership.
‘I’ve spent my entire career being very passionate about innovative, creative business solutions to drive results,’ says Craig. ‘I’m a big believer in marketing communications that work, so for me to take the jump to the other side, a lot of people said to me they’re not the slightest bit surprised about that.’
Paul Leblanc, CEO, Extreme Group, adds that Craig will also bring to the table valuable insights from the client side that will allow the agency to better understand its clients’ businesses.
‘He’s got a naturally bred instinct to understand the client’s issues because he’s been a client for 25 years,’ says Leblanc.
‘I’ve had the benefit of a lot years looking at a number of different business challenges across a number of different brands, so obviously when you have that level of experience, you need to bring in the strategic thinking and ask yourself what the business challenge is you’re trying to solve,’ adds Craig.
Craig’s previous experience, says Leblanc, will not only come into play in terms of nurturing opportunities for its roster of blue chip clients, including P&G, RIM and Grand & Toy, but also taking new business conversations to another level.
‘I think Extreme is well poised for success,’ says Craig. ‘They already have an impressive roster of clients, but also the people. It’s a really talented group of people that come from a big agency background, but with being an independent there’s a nimbleness, a flexibility, but most importantly, there’s also a heart and humility that is the culture of this agency. Not only that, but the core of this agency is also creativity.’
