Lori Senecal
Lori Senecal has been named global CEO of CP+B, a newly created role that caps off a remarkable run of promotions for the rising Montreal native.
In her new job, the fluently bilingual Senecal will steer CP+B’s worldwide expansion and manage the coordination of the company’s eight global offices, alongside chairman and chief strategist Chuck Porter.
“It’s an honor to be asked by Chuck to work alongside him and the CP+B leadership team,” said Senecal in a press release. “I look forward to playing a significant role in the global growth of the agency, by working with the exceptional talent across offices.”
CP+B described Senecal as “an industry thought leader and management specialist” who isn’t afraid of emerging trends.
Indeed, known for her ability to champion technology, it was only six months ago that Senecal was made president and CEO of global umbrella MDC Partners Network, which was created as a strategic unit inside MDC Partners.
She will retain that title at MDC—which she joined in 2009—while helping to design the global expansion playbook for CP+B, which recently added Infinity to it’s impressive client list of Domino’s, Metlife, Turkish Airlines and others.
“Lori understands and loves this agency,” said Porter, in a press release. “She shares our values and passion, and she brings an extraordinary level of management experience and expertise. Everything I’m not good at, she is.”
Porter added that Senecal would join the company’s “global A team” as the firm pushes its expansion plans.
Senecal, a graduate of McGill who now resides in Manhattan’s trendy Tribeca neighbourhood, has burnished her reputation over the years by working with brands as varied as Coca-Cola, Xbox, Nestle, Molson and Weight Watcher’s.
While working as the head of KBS, the agency jumped from being a domestic firm with 250 employees to a global one with 900-plus staffers focusing on start-up investment, technology and content creation.
Before working with KBS, Senecal worked as president of McCann-Erickson at their New York office and helmed account leadership, innovation and strategic planning.
And back in 2003, Senecal created TAG Ideation, a specialized marketing unit geared toward young adults.
Last year, Advertising Age named Senecal as a “Woman to Watch” and she was appointed to the board of MDC Partners.
Along with offices in Los Angeles, Miami, Boulder, London, São Paulo, Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Stockholm, CP+B’s global expansion will see the ad shop open a new office in Hong Kong.
After two years, the CP+B brand closed its doors in Toronto in 2012 and was replaced by Union. The move away from CP+B’s network followed talks with MDC that addressed challenges arising from North American conflicts that kept the Toronto office out of desirable new business pitches.
