Michele Pauchuk has been appointed president of media agency MEC Canada.
The position was left vacant when Bruce Neve was hired as CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Canada at the end of May.
“I’m truly excited to be joining MEC Canada and really looking forward to working with the strong team already in place, as well as exploring new opportunities for both the agency and our great list of clients,” Pauchuk told Marketing on Friday afternoon. “Together I know we can take the agency to the next level and grow in a way that benefits everyone.”
Most recently, Pauchuk had been executive vice-president and managing director at Initiative, working from its Toronto office since 2008. In her time with Initiative, she helped add several blue chip clients to the agency’s roster including Sun Life, ING Direct, Match.com and Victoria’s Secret.
With more than two decades of media industry experience, Pauchuk also worked for eight years at MediaCom, where she oversaw 22 clients and the research group as managing director. Prior to that, she was with DDB Needham for 10 years, part of which time she held the role of VP media director.
In her new role, she will report to MEC North America CEO Lee Doyle.
With a background in designing new business development programs and applying strategic growth plans, Pauchuk is an ideal complement to MEC’s existing talent base, said Doyle. “She’s a proven leader who has consistently been able to inspire her team, strengthen client relationships and drive growth. I’m looking forward to working closely with her to take our strategic product in Canada to the next level.”
A spokesperson for MEC couldn’t confirm exactly when Pauchuk will be stepping in at MEC Canada, but said it will be “in the near future.”
MEC is a founding partner of WPP’s GroupM and has a workforce of 4,000.
