Karen Howe is leaving One Advertising and her role as senior vice-president and creative director. She has been with the agency (and its predecessor Due North) for 17 years.
“I’ve helped lead One to become one of the largest, independent integrated agencies in Canada,” said Howe. “The creative team I’ve built has played a key role in an unprecedented new business run.”
A former creative group head at Cossette, art director at Scale McCabe Sloves and writer at BBDO Canada, Howe joined Due North Communications (which became One in 2012 after merging with 58Ninety and Brandworks) in 1998.
“It’s been a fantastic run with Karen at the creative helm,” said One president Jill King. “She has helped us win some amazing new clients.”
Howe’s work at One has included five-second cinema ads for Dairy Farmers of Canada, anti-drinking-and-driving spots for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and executions for Dos Equis, Heineken, Canadian Blood Services, Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto and H&R Block.
The former Cannes Lions juror said that after 17 years (“36,789 in advertising years”), she’s looking for a change.
Howe told Marketing she’s “taking some time off to travel, then I will move forward with the next chapter. It’s exciting.”
New leadership
Associate creative directors Michel Lang and Jacob Gawrysiak have both been promoted to creative directors to jointly assume Howe’s duties overseeing the agency’s creative output, but they will not assume SVP titles.
“Jacob and Michel together are a brilliant balance of technology and classical brand marketing,” said agency CEO Ted Boyd. “This represents another proof point from our creation three years ago as the agency that drives our clients’ business forward through innovation and a relentless focus on their core metrics.”
