Less than three hours into the job, and Martin Gauthier’s first day as president of Sid Lee Montreal has been a hectic one.
First there was a story in French daily La Presse Affaires, followed by TV interviews and a series of print interviews that lasted through the morning. The former executive vice-president and senior partner, who joined the agency in 1999, was officially announced as president of the 400-person office today.
“I’m happy to do it,” said Gauthier, who succeeds Sid Lee president and senior partner Jean-Francois Bouchard. The latter moves up to oversee Sid Lee’s international operations in Toronto, Amsterdam, Paris and its newest office in New York, as well as its Jimmy Lee, Sid Lee Technologies and Sid Lee Architecture business units.
“I will take care of the destiny of Sid Lee in Montreal, while [Bouchard] will take care of the destiny of Sid Lee around the world,” said Gauthier. Bouchard will be based out of Montreal, but will have “an office on the plane for sure,” Gauthier joked.
Sid Lee’s ultimate objective, said Gauthier, is to create what he calls a “mini global network” with offices on each continent. There is no timetable for the objective, with the agency opting to proceed “slowly but surely.”
Gauthier has spent the past two years overseeing Sid Lee’s Amsterdam office, but said he is grateful for a new role that will enable him to spend more time in Montreal with his wife and four children. Overseeing the Montreal office means the end of a grueling travel schedule that saw him spend six months in Amsterdam last year.
Working closer to home will also enable Gauthier to engage in beloved charity projects such as Montréal Passion Vin, a charity wine-tasting event now in its 11th year that he presides over. (This year’s event raised $1.1 million for Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Foundation.)
“I want to do more for the community in Montreal, and I will have more time to do so,” he said. “Being mainly in Montreal will be a game-changer for me and I hope it will be for the best. I’m going to be much more present for Montreal.”
Gauthier said that his objective is to continue the collaboration between Sid Lee’s Canadian offices in Toronto and Montreal which contribute to work for clients such as Kraft, Rona and SAQ.
Gauthier has also created a new “operational committee” that goes against what he called the “boys club” of Montreal advertising. The team is comprised of executive vice-president François Lacoursiére; executive creative director Helene Godin; VP strategy François Forget; COO Pétula Bouchard; VP creative operations Julie Provencal; VP of human resources Annick Désy and Daniel Fortier, director of finance.
“It’s going to bring the feminine touch, which is really important in communications these days,” said Gauthier, adding the committee’s gender split will be 50/50.
A devout hockey fan, Gauthier used a hockey analogy to describe his management style. Management can either be dictatorial like the great Montreal Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman, pulling the strings from behind the bench, or like Rocket Richard, working with the team at ice level.
The latter, said Gauthier, is more his style. “I like working with a team,” he said. “Of course I’m going to have a vision, but all together we are going to be much closer with our creative people and I’m pretty sure this will have a huge impact on the campaigns and ROI we deliver for our clients.”
Gauthier said he plans to maintain the 20% per cent growth rate the agency has attained over the past eight years. “We want to stay at the top and keep growing this company,” he said. “I’m going to work super hard to make sure we keep the clients we have happy and drive a lot of results for them, and grow the company nationwide.”
Sid Lee currently employs 600 people worldwide and an estimated 400 people at its flagship Montreal office. The agency is currently in a “great spot,” he said, but has lofty ambitions to continue its aggressive growth trajectory.
“We might become the biggest agency in Canada,” said Gauthier. “I’m not going to stop until I realize that.”
