Chris Williams will be taking over as IAB Canada’s new president from outgoing leader Paula Gignac.
Williams, previously managing director and senior vice-president Media Contacts Canada, will step into the role on June 14. He has more than 22 years of agency experience—most of which have concentrated on digital. He led the IAB’s agency council for four years and been on the organization’s board for more than a decade.
Having built Media Contacts in Canada from a staff of two to 16 and grown its revenue by double digits each year, Williams is no stranger to leading groups through periods of substantial growth. IAB Canada is currently going through such a time—more than 50 new members joined last year and 25 more have done so since the beginning of this year.
Williams said in a release that while there are substantial challenges within the industry, there are also significant opportunities for agencies, publishers, advertisers and every group that’s part of the digital ecosystem “as everything gets re-imagined and re-invented daily as it passes through digital’s lens.”
The departing Gignac, who has been with the association since Sept. 2004, first shared her plans to leave the association back in April. She said at the time that she is headed to Guelph, Ont. with her daughter and partner, who is pursuing a Masters degree.
