Will Creative is expanding its roster to help service a growing list of clients the boutique agency has landed since it was founded late last year.
Vancouver-based Will says it has hired four new employees from other agencies as well as on the client side. The new staff will work on the agency’s new accounts such as The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, Thompson Rivers University, The Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design and a “yet to be announced national retailer.”
“We are riding the natural momentum that is behind us right now,” said Will executive creative director Nick Richards, who founded the agency in December with wife and partner Ute Preusse.
Richards said he and Preusse, who both came from Cossette and have worked in Canada for the past eight years, developed a wish list of staff they’ve worked with over the years and wanted to hire as they expanded their own company.
Many of those names are people they now call colleagues, Richards said.
Lisa Lebedovich has joined Will as creative director, after working as acting creative director of Camp Jefferson and prior to that associate creative director at Cossette and Rethink. She’s an award-winning marketer with experience working with clients such as McDonalds, Telus, Egg Farmers of Canada, Arc’teryx, Coast Capital Savings and BCAA.
Noemie Bessette is Will’s director of client services, who came from the agency’s client, Nature’s Path Foods, where she was communications director. Bessette also worked with Richards and Preusse when she was ivivva brand director at Lululemon Athletica. She has also worked at agencies such as Cossette and BBDO, on campaigns for clients such as Bell, Pepsi and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Will has also brought on board Cam McNab, most recently from Cossette, as senior creative, as well as account manager Kirsten Cave, previously from MacLaren McCann.
All four hires come after recent promotions, Richards said, including Jenn Hicks to associate creative director and Nicola Poskitt to account supervisor, planner.
Richards said Will is planning to hire more employees in the future, as its business grows.
“We’re allowing the type of work that’s coming to us to shape the team,” Richards said, adding that the company landed a couple new clients in recent days, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’ve been cautious with growth and not wanting to grow too big too quickly… It’s good and terrifying at the same time,” Richard said, with a laugh.
