Montreal-based bcp has tapped Geoff Arnoldi to take over the presidency of its Toronto office.

The move, orchestrated by bcp President and Chief Executive Officer Yves Gougoux, displaces Ron Telpner, who has been president of the Toronto agency since its formation two years ago.

Telpner, who describes his departure as ‘amicable,’ says he resigned to pursue other interests, including opening the first ‘Western ad agency in Cuba.’

Arnoldi, who moves into his new post Feb. 26, will be charged with building BCP, Toronto’s identity in English-speaking Canada, particularly in the all-important Toronto market.

While bcp is the second-largest agency in Quebec, servicing a long list of local and multinational clients, its Toronto office has had a hard time getting noticed.

Arnoldi says his immediate goal is to inject new energy into the agency, ‘creating something that is a little quicker and faster on its feet.’

Arnoldi says he is sure he will be successful, adding ‘my forte has always been getting involved in situations and turning them around. That’s why I’m here.’

Although few question the 39-year-old Arnoldi’s experience and abilities, his penchant for changing employers every few years has some people wondering if he will stick around long enough to complete the job he is setting out to do.

Since 1991, Arnoldi has worked at Young & Rubicam, bbdo, and, most recently, MacLaren McCann.

His tenure at MacLaren was a mere eight months.

Arnoldi admits his career path has been somewhat nomadic, but he says bcp’s offer to give him not only an agency to run but also a partnership in the operation was too good to refuse.

During his time at MacLaren, Arnoldi worked closely on the Molson Breweries account, and it is expected he will waste little time in trying to land a project, or even a brand assignment, from the brewer for his new agency.

In Quebec, bcp, which has long been a Molson agency, currently handles Black Label and Black Ice.

When establishing his Toronto agency two years ago, Gougoux picked up a third Molson brand, Molson Dry.

That came about when he bought The Robert Kyle Agency, which had managed the brand since its launch in the early 1990s, and rolled it into BCP, Toronto.

But Molson later pulled the account and gave it to Vickers & Benson.

Beyond his desire to establish an agency beachhead in Cuba, where he has been developing contacts for several years, Telpner says he is also looking for a way to continue working with several clients he brought with him to BCP Canada.

The clients include: Calvin Klein, the Toronto Stock Exchange, Jean Machine and Sunrise Records.

Telpner says his options include starting a new agency or joining an existing one.