David Leonard Named CEO of MacLaren McCann Canada

McCann Worldgroup today announced the appointment of David Leonard as CEO, MacLaren McCann Canada. Leonard joins the agency from DDB Canada, where he was President and COO. He will oversee all of MacLaren McCann’s operations across Canada, succeeding Doug Turney, who is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities within the industry and education arena.

“David is a talented leader with a deep understanding of the industry and the Canadian marketplace,” said Luca Lindner, President, McCann Worldgroup. “He is ideally suited to lead our Canadian operations and we look forward to his leadership in driving our clients’ businesses forward.”

“We thank Doug for all of his contributions to McCann over the years and we wish him well with his future plans,” said Lindner.

Leonard has more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles across Canada on both the agency and the client side of the business. Following his arrival at DDB Canada as President of the Toronto office in January of 2005, the agency was named Strategy Magazine's “Agency of the Year” five times. In 2010, he was promoted to President & COO of all of DDB Canada's operations. He started his career in print production at a small Vancouver agency and rose through the account service ranks at JWT Toronto, working with global clients such as Pepsi and Warner Lambert, and subsequently with Palmer Jarvis leading the McDonald's, Labatt's and TELUS businesses.  After senior posts at some of Canada’s leading agencies, he became President & CEO of Arnold Worldwide Canada.

Commenting on joining McCann, Leonard said, "McCann has got great momentum in so many markets around the globe, including the US... and MacLaren McCann has such an amazing Canadian heritage as a creative leader and influential force in this country. I'm extremely pumped at the opportunity to take the helm."

MacLaren McCann is a Toronto-based multi-discipline integrated marketing communications agency with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. The agency, which has been continuously ranked among the top agencies in Canada since its founding in 1922, became part of McCann Worldgroup in 1995 through a merger of the McCann and MacLaren agencies, both owned by The Interpublic Group of Companies. IPG had first acquired MacLaren in 1988. McCann initially opened in Canada in 1915 as its first expansion outside of the U.S.