Lance Saunders Appointed DDB Canada's New National President and COO

After a Decade-Long Tenure, David Leonard Moves to MacLAREN McCANN

VANCOUVER, EDMONTON, TORONTO and MONTREAL, April 1, 2015 /CNW/ - Frank Palmer, Chairman and CEO of DDB Canada today announced the appointment of Lance Saunders as the agency's new national president and COO, effective immediately.

Saunders is replacing David Leonard, who after a highly successful decade-long tenure at the helm of the company is moving to MacLAREN McCANN.  Saunders was the executive vice president (EVP), managing director, of DDB Canada's Vancouver office and will now be moving to Toronto to serve in his new role.

"David has made immense contributions to the growth of our business over the past ten years, and his footprint leaves us with some stellar wins, from our brand launch in the French Canadian market with DDB Canada Montreal, to spearheading our latest client win with Volkswagen," said Palmer.  "But in this industry, none of us ever want to stop growing, so we want to thank David for all that he has done for DDB, and wish him the very best in this next chapter of his career."

From a nostalgic look back to an exciting look forward, Palmer says he is thrilled to see Lance take over the reigns of DDB Canada.

Saunders has taken DDB Canada's Vancouver office to new heights over the past four years with his exceptional leadership style and innovative thinking. "Lance has a creative way of looking at business, which challenges our industry's traditional models," explains Palmer.  "He has re-energized the culture within our Vancouver office, and this has resulted in business wins extending far beyond Western Canadian borders."

Palmer is referring to an enviable client list that DDB Canada's Vancouver office has built recently under Saunder's stewardship, including Nordstrom, Netflix and Capital One.

"We have an incredibly talented group of people working across all of our offices, and there is great momentum building," said Saunders.  "I'm looking forward to working closely with each of our offices to strengthen our vision for the future, and to collectively produce outstanding work for our clients."

Saunders is a 30 plus year veteran in the advertising industry and a sought-after thought leader who is regularly called upon to speak at various Canadian universities and colleges. Following an extensive global search in 2010, Lance was recruited to DDB from Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis where he served as executive vice president and director of strategic planning. Prior to that, he had an impressive two-decade tenure at Leo Burnett in Toronto as senior vice president, managing partner, and planning director.

"At DDB we are big believers of promoting from within, and if the past four years of business growth in Vancouver is any indication, I would have to say, the best is yet to come for the rest of our Canadian offices – it's an exciting time." said Palmer.

About DDB Canada
DDB Canada is the most creatively acclaimed, internationally recognized marketing communications agency in Canada.  The agency was named Top Creative Agency in strategy magazine's 2015 Creative Report Card and was ranked #2 agency in Canada by the Gunn Report in 2014.  Known for advertising that generates significant results for clients, DDB Canada is a "total communications company" whose fundamental belief is that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Canada has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The agency's integrated marketing disciplines include: youth marketing, public relations, event management digital, social, mobile, branding, design, direct, CRM, recruitment marketing and shopper marketing.

SOURCE DDB Canada

or interviews, please contact: Paige Calvert, Director of Corporate Communications, DDB Canada, 604.608.4421, [email protected]