• by Steve McClellan , April 1, 2015

McCann Worldgroup has appointed David Leonard CEO, MacLaren McCann Canada, the agency confirmed Wednesday. Previously, Leonard was President and COO of rival agency DDB Canada, part of Omnicom. He will oversee all of MacLaren McCann’s operations across Canada, succeeding Doug Turney, who is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. 

“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.”

Leonard has more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles across Canada on both the agency and client side of the business. He joined DDB Canada as President of the Toronto office in January of 2005. In 2010, he was promoted to President and 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.  

Later, he was named President and 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 U.S., 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 ad agency with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. The shop became part of McCann Worldgroup in 1995 through a merger of the McCann and MacLaren agencies, both owned by The Interpublic Group of Companies.