Brett Marchand named new Cossette president and COO

Marchand (pictured) joined the firm in 2005 and was previously executive vice president of the group’s operations in Toronto.

Before his time at Cossette, Marchand served as president of Lowe Roche Advertising.

In his new role he will have day-to-day responsibility for Cossette’s global operations and lead an executive team including Gregor Angus, EVP and COO of Cossette UK; Marcel Barthe, VP of corporate strategy; Pierre Delagrave, president of media, research and interactive services; Martin Faucher, VP and CFO; Dominique Lebel, EVP for Montreal and Quebec City; and Colin Schleining, EVP and COO for Cossette US.

Marchand takes over as president from Cossette’s founder, chairman and CEO Claude Lessard.

Lessard said: “Brett is a member of this new generation of managers who have been groomed to take over the future management of Cossette. 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.”

Cossette was the subject of a takeover battle late last year between private equity group Mill Road Capital and an investment group led by former Cossette vice chairman François Duffar. The firm was eventually sold to Mill Road for C$135m.