Choi, a director at the ICA and Partner and CEO at independent agency Angry Butterfly, will head a group of eight agency creative leaders who will work to identify and address the industry issues facing creatives.
The group’s launch builds on the ICA’s support for Canadian creativity at both an industry and national level and will bolster the impact of its Brands Need More Canada manifesto, which aims to promote Canadian creativity to global and international brands.
Choi is joined on the committee by seven creative leaders representing a diverse range of agencies across Canada in terms of both geography and agency discipline.
They are: Marie-Elaine Benoit, Executive Design Director at Sid Lee; Josh Budd, Chief Creative Officer at Citizen Relations; Jordan Doucette, Chief Creative Officer at McCann Worldgroup Canada; Krystle Mullin, Chief Creative Officer at john st.; Neil Shapiro, Creative Director at 9Letters; Erin Wendel, Chief Creative Officer at The Hive; and Christina Yu, Chief Creative Officer at Lifelong Crush.
Choi, who was previously CEO & Chief Creative Officer at DDB and President & CCO at J. Walter Thompson, said that the group will take a view of the industry “through the eyes and experiences of creatives.”
While the CEOs and CCOs want the same big picture outcomes, it’s important to think about industry challenges that creative leaders prioritize,” added Choi. “It was important to me to lead this initiative and give creatives a voice within the ICA. As a CEO now, and a former CCO, I can clearly see the pull in slightly different directions when it comes to where my attention needs to focus. It's not that these are mutually exclusive views, but more about where the priorities are.
Scott Knox, President & CEO of the ICA, said that the creation of the Creative Advisory Committee will help to achieve its ambition of improving Canada’s ranking as the fourth most creative market in the world, according to WARC research.
Knox added:
We also want to create a meaningfully connected network of Canadian creative leaders to drive our national and international reputation. Together we can focus on our success at Cannes Lions and other international platforms of agency recognition. The great thing about this group is that they are aligned on the narrative around creative effectiveness in driving client and national economic success.
To connect with the Creative Advisory Committee email scott@theica.ca.
