Five months after Juniper Park became a part of TBWA Worldwide, it is merging with TBWA’s Toronto office to form Juniper Park/TBWA with its leadership team taking the reins at the combined agency.
As part of this merger, longtime TBWA\Toronto boss Jay Bertram has announced his departure.
“I have truly valued my time at TBWA,” said Bertram, in a statement. “I want to thank both Troy [Ruhanen, TBWA Worldwide CEO] and Tom [Caroll, chairman] for their continued support, as well as our clients for being such fantastic longstanding partners. I give my full support to this merger of two great creative cultures, coming together to form a powerhouse agency to be reckoned with.”
“Beyond being a great friend, Jay Bertram has been a great asset to the TBWA family for many years and was profoundly instrumental in growing and enriching our brand in Canada and beyond,” said Ruhanen.
“He has chosen this moment to start a new journey knowing that he has positioned the agency and its people in the best possible place with this merger. We wish him the best in all opportunities that lie ahead.”
Juniper Park, which was originally part of Omnicom’s BBDO cluster of agencies, shifted to the network’s TBWA branch in March. It was part of a series of moves Ruhanen made to simplify the network’s reporting structure and bolster its North American offering.
While it’s been five months since Juniper Park began reporting to Ruhanen, it has had very little day-to-day interaction with TBWA\Toronto, remaining a functionally separate entity until today’s announcement.
According to Jill Nykoliation, now CEO of Juniper Park/TBWA, there are no client conflicts in bringing the two businesses together, and with both agencies “running efficiently,” she foresees little redundancy in bringing together staff (which will operate out of Juniper Park’s Toronto office). The creative department will be led by Juniper’s Terry Drummond, Alan Madill and Barry Quinn.
Juniper’s David Toto will remain general manager of the combined office, with TBWA’s Calvin Daniels remaining head of client services.
The combined agency’s client roster includes CIBC, Nissan, Miller Lite, PepsiCo, Petro-Canada, Pfizer and Virgin Mobile.
“Our client reaction has been phenomenal,” Nykoliation said. “They’re seeing it as very complimentary.”
