Dentsu Aegis Network Canada has added to its leadership team, tapping long-time automotive exec Sandy Di Felice for the newly created chief marketing officer role.

Di Felice was most recently director of corporate communications and strategic planning at Toyota Canada, where she’s been since 2008.

In her new role, she will be responsible for leading the network’s marketing strategy across its agency brands, both internally and externally. She will report directly to CEO Annette Warring.

Adding a Canadian CMO to its ranks follows a year of changes and acquisitions at the agency network, bringing Grip and S+E Sponsorship Group into the fold, and hiring a new CFO, chief talent officer and two new agency leads.

“Externally, we have a responsibility to our clients as well as to the industry to provide our narrative to the market, a story that is in line with what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Warring. “Where we are now and where we see the future going.”

“It’s an extremely complex and dynamic time, but success for brands is dependent on transparency,” she said. “If we act like its status quo then we are setting ourselves up for failure. This isn’t about being able to regurgitate industry jargon or trends, it’s to bring communications strategy that’s of higher value to brands.”

Warring said Di Felice’s history working at complex brands, as well as her understanding of the communications and marketing side of the business made her the best fit for the new role.

Prior to joining Toyota, Di Felice was an assistant VP with Honda Canada and an international product manager at Mitsubishi Canada, where she helped launch the brand in this market. She has also previously worked as VP of corporate communications and reputation management at Fleishman Hillard.

GroupM also hired a CMO this year, tapping Jim Meyer to the role at the North American level.