Chris Keevill has become the new majority shareholder and CEO at East Coast marketing and communications company Colour.
The agency announced earlier this week that Keevill, Colour’s president since 2005, had purchased a majority stake in the company from its founder, Steve Parker.
The deal included Keevill’s ascension to the CEO role. He retains his position as president.
Parker, meanwhile, still maintains a minority share in the company, which he launched in 1977 as Corporate Communications Limited. He also retains his position as CEO of the CCL Group, which includes Colour and Blue Ocean Call Centers.
Rob Batherson, senior vice-president of public affairs at Colour, continues to hold a minority stake in the company.
Keevill said the move would not have a significant impact on Colour’s day-to-day operations.
“It’s not a monumental shift in the direction of the business as a result of this transaction,” said Keevill, who did identify digital media as a growing focus for the agency. “It’s more ‘steady as she goes.’ “
Batherson agreed, pointing out that Parker will continue to pitch in on some accounts.
“When Chris became president, Steve removed himself from the day-to-day operations of Colour,” said Batherson. “He’s certainly been involved over the last five years and will continue to be involved with providing public relations and other forms of counsel to key clients.”
Batherson added that Keevill’s assumption of the agency’s controls completes a succession plan begun by Parker in 2002, when Keevill joined the firm as senior vice-president of marketing.
“We all owe quite a bit to what Steve’s built up in the last 30 years and now it’s our responsibility to carry that legacy forward.”
Along with Keevill and Batherson, Colour’s management team includes Larry MacEachern, senior vice-president of marketing; David Hawkins, president of Moncton-based Colour New Brunswick; and Sean Charters, vice-president of St. John’s-based Colour Newfoundland and Labrador.
