There’s another new exec joining the senior ranks of MacLaren McCann Canada.
Mary Chambers has been named chief strategy officer at the agency, an appointment that comes just one week after Darren Clarke was named chief creative officer at the agency.
Both hires come under the new leadership of David Leonard, who took over the CEO role at MacLaren McCann in late April to enact a turnaround plan at the agency.
Chambers marks Leonard’s second major hire. She joins the agency via Publicis, where she was vice-president and national head of strategic planning. During her two years in that role she lead the strategy for several key Publicis clients, including Nestlé, CIBC and Home Depot. Chambers also played a major role in Publicis renewing its relationship with Rogers in 2014 and was a “key architect” on the new brand platform the telecom introduced earlier this year.
Prior to Publicis, Chambers worked as a planner at Young & Rubicam and BBDO Warszawa. Between the two agencies, she’s worked on a number of high profile brands from Snickers to Pepsi, Advil, Kool-Aid and Scotts.
At MacLaren, Chambers will lead the agency’s new data and analytics practice and oversee planning “across all disciplines and offices.”
In a release, Leonard said, “We are excited to have Mary on board. Her passion for solving complex problems is contagious and will bring big benefits to our clients and agency. Mary has many strengths, and chief among them is uncovering the insights that help transform a client’s business in an undeniably compelling way.”
He added that the two recent hires mark a new era for MacLaren McCann. “This is the start of a new mission at MacLaren McCann. Mary and Darren are joining us at precisely the right time,” he said. “They will be instrumental in helping leverage our amazing heritage of influence in Canadian business while building new capabilities and momentum that are going to amaze and inspire our clients.”
