Maxus Canada’s recent hire of longtime publishing executive Kerry Mitchell as chief growth officer is part of a concerted effort to help the two-year-old GroupM network “get to the next level” says president Ann Stewart.
Kerry Mitchell
Mitchell arrived in the newly created position about two weeks ago. She is tasked with growing Maxus through a combination of new business and organic growth, as well as streamlining processes within the agency, said Stewart.
Mitchell left Rogers Publishing in 2011 after nine years with the company, and had been operating her own consultancy, Arlo Strategy, since 2012. Speaking with Marketing, she said she was attracted to Maxus because it is fast-growing (it has been named the world’s fastest-growing agency by RECMA every year since 2009) and has a reputation as a passionate and entrepreneurial environment.
She said that the new position offers an interesting way to transfer and apply skills learned in her previous roles in publishing to the agency side, noting that there is an overlap in consumer engagement tactics in the two environments.
“We like to say here that we lean into change, and that appeals to me greatly, having been in an ever-changing media environment for much of my career,” said Mitchell. “[It’s about] finding ways to really embrace that and make it part of the solution and not an obstacle.”
She is currently developing Maxus’ go-to-market strategy with an emphasis on the aspects that distinguish it from its competitors. “There are a lot of companies out there offering clients the opportunity to connect with consumers through new and traditional media channels, and I want to be very thoughtful about how we promote our different way of doing that,” she said.
Mitchell first worked with Maxus parent GroupM on a project basis earlier this year, playing a key role in the network’s ultimately successful pitch for the L’Oreal Canada business. “I went very deep in learning the approach and the business science that Maxus brings to clients,” said Mitchell. “It was a lengthy process I was deeply involved in and that’s what led me here.”
Ann Stewart
Adds Stewart: “She got to know Maxus and the people here and what we stood for, and she was a great fit when I had the opportunity to bring somebody on board. It was a natural fit.”
The newly created position was initially created to lead new business, an area in which Maxus has been hugely successful the past two years, with a 95% success rate in pitches according to Stewart.
New business wins during that time include Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Suncor Energy and another new assignment that Stewart can’t yet reveal but said will be a “game-changer” for the agency, which formally debuted in Canada in January 2012.
Mitchell’s role has since morphed into one that also encompasses process and helps elevate the media function said Stewart, who said Mitchell was selected because she embodies the agency’s four core values. “She’s agile, entrepreneurial, passionate and passionate,” said Stewart.
Maxus has passed through its formative stage and is now solidifying its client base said Stewart, who has been with the agency since its inception after previous stints with Mindshare Canada, Excelerator Media and Omnicom’s OMD Canada.
Its staff count has grown from 45 at the start of the year to 70 today, reflecting its new-business success. Its current client roster includes Kruger Products, Church & Dwight, UPS, NBC Universal and Little Caesars, and Stewart said she is particularly keen to add clients in several specific categories, most notably automotive, beverage alcohol and technology.
“We just want to work with clients that embrace media and embrace the changes that are happening within media,” said Stewart.
