Brett Marchand appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Cossette

QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Claude Lessard , Chairman and CEO of Cossette Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Brett Marchand as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company's global operations effective immediately. The appointment is the result of a two-year process during which Cossette identified and put in place a new generation of managers to lead the next phase of the company's growth.

"Brett is a member of this new generation of managers who have been groomed to take over the future management of Cossette," says Lessard. "I have been working hard over the past two years on an orderly succession process and, with that in place, we are ready to take Cossette into a new era of growth."

In his new role, Brett Marchand will have day-to-day responsibility for Cossette's global operations. The executive team reporting to Brett will include: Gregor Angus, EVP and COO of Cossette UK; Marcel Barthe , VP Corporate Strategy; Pierre Delagrave, President Media , Research and Interactive Services; Martin Faucher , VP and CFO; Dominique Lebel , EVP for Montreal and Quebec City; and Colin Schleining , EVP and COO Cossette U.S. Brett Marchand and Kimberley Okell, VP, Legal Affairs will continue to report to Lessard.

This management change will enable Lessard to shift his focus from the day-to-day operations of Cossette to concentrate more intensely on essential priorities critical to the future of the company such as senior client relationships, major new business initiatives worldwide and supporting Brett Marchand and his team in their efforts to build Cossette's global success.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely with Brett as we open a new chapter in the growth and evolution of Cossette," says Lessard. "His track record is impressive and he is ready."

Adds Marchand: "It has always been my dream to work with a Canadian company that is a leader in its industry and has aspirations to grow internationally. We have great clients, a great organization and I am very excited about our future."

About Cossette

Cossette Inc. offers a full range of leading-edge communication services to clients of all sizes, including some of the most prestigious brands in the world. A customer-driven organization built around highly specialized business units, Cossette also offers Convergent Communications(TM), a unique working method that brings added value to the client by integrating various services offered by the Group, including strategic planning and research, advertising, media buying and channel planning, sales promotion, direct response, database and direct marketing, customer relationship management, interactive marketing and technology solutions, public relations, organizational communication and change management, sponsorship and alliance marketing, branding and design, ethnic marketing, business-to-business communications (B2B practices) and print and video production. Cossette has approximately 1,485 employees and offices in Quebec City, Montreal , Toronto , Vancouver , Halifax , New York, Irvine, Los Angeles , London and Shanghai .

For further information: Mark Smyka, Toronto: [phone]; Jacques Tetrault, Montreal: [phone]; Maxime Couture, Quebec City: [phone]; Source: Cossette Inc.; www.cossette.com