Jim Kabrajee, president of Marshall Fenn Communications, has been named chair of the Institute of Communication Agencies‘ revamped board of directors.
Kabrajee has been an ICA board member for five years, most recently serving as vice-chair and treasurer under previous chair Brett Marchand, executive vice-president of Cossette Toronto.
Kabrajee said he does not expect his tenure to bring any significant directional change to the organization, which has just emerged from a period of rejuvenation.
With Marchand’s election in 2006, the ICA embarked on a number of new events and programs to make the organization a more active, relevant part of Canada’s marketing industry.
While the ICA’s Communications and Advertising Accredited Professional (CAAP) educational program has run for 50 years, the old board met infrequently and was known mostly for long lunches and publishing missives.
Since 2006, the ICA has launched popular annual events such as Future Flash and Advertising Week while maintaining its professional development programs.
"The last couple of years have been a bit of a trial, making sure we had the right ideas," Kabrajee said. "The confirmation came back [from the industry] that we were on the right track… We’re going to build even further from here on out. It’s not a question of holding on and maintaining the status quo."
Instead, Kabrajee said the ICA will push for new initiatives that will further drive its mandate to "lead, educate and represent" the agency world.
Claude Carrier, vice-president of BOS Toronto, will remain vice-chair and the head of Advertising Week.
Kabrajee’s election also marks a structural change in the ICA’s governance that will see the Board of Directors shrink to just 11 members and the introduction of a larger Board of Governors, which will provide strategic guidance to the directors.
Marchand, who remains on the board of directors, will chair the board of governors.
Marchand said given the board’s increasingly active role in the organization over the past three years, its size made it difficult to organize meetings, maintain quorum and reach consensus.
With just 11 instead of 27 members, the BoD will be better able to steer day-to-day operations and better conform with current corporate best practices, said Gillian Graham, ICA chief executive officer.
Each of the nine elected directors personally oversee one of the ICA’s major projects. The group effectively replaces the now-defunct executive committee. Kabrajee has oversight over all operations.
Aside from Marchand, Kabrajee and Carrier, the new board of directors includes Dom Caruso, BBDO; Laurie Young, Ogilvy & Mather; Doug Conn, Wasserman + Partners; Bob Shropshire, Dentsu; Alan Gee, GJP Advertising; Garry Lee, Cundari and Philip George, TBWAToronto.
Many who served in the 27-member board structure have moved to the board of governors. In addition to Marchand, the new board of governors includes:
• Al Scornaienchi, Agency 59
• Ania Lindenbergs, Allard Johnson
• Lorne Kirshenbaum, Brandworks
• Ken Christoffel, Brown Communications Group
• Ernie Pasemko, Calder Bateman
• Catherine Frank, Clean Sheet Communications
• Melanie Johnston, DDB Canada
• Jill King, Due North Communications
• Ann Nurock, Grey Worldwide
• Gary Hendrick, Hendrick & Associates Marketing Services
• Jim Letwin, Jan Kelley Marketing
• David Gibb, JWT Canada
• Steven MacKinnon, MacKinnon Calderwood Advertising
• Michael Duncan, OSL
• Dennis Edell, Partners & Edell
• Andrew Bruce, Publicis Canada
• Christopher Lindley, Quiller & Blake Advertising
• Monique Janower, Red Communications
• Brett Channer, Saatchi & Saatchi
• Wendy Anderson, Wonder Communications
Graham and Jani Yates, ICA president, will also sit on both boards as employees of the ICA.
