Spark Foundry Canada, a Publicis Groupe media agency, has appointed Véronik L’Heureux as the managing director of its Montreal office as the business looks to expand its presence in Quebec.

L’Heureux will work with Spark Foundry’s national management team, overseeing regional and national accounts and promoting the company’s brand in the Quebec market. L’Heureux will report to Bettina Heimrath, VP Managing Director Montreal, who has occupied the role from Toronto for the last two years and who will continue to oversee the Montreal office.

Previously, L’Heureux served as media director at Dentsu Media in Montreal, where she began as a media account director in 2006. She currently serves on the Media Director Board of Quebec as vice president of the executive committee and as president of the communication committee.

“In a relationship-driven market, we need people there with those relationships already,” says Alastair Taylor, CEO of Spark Foundry in Canada, of L’Heureux’s appointment. “Quebec is the number-one next market for us… We’re looking for ways to grow there quite aggressively.”

Taylor says the company’s positioning of “Spirit of a start-up, soul of a powerhouse” has resonated nicely in the Quebec marketplace. “The premise of Spark Foundry is really about melding the best of what we have globally to the local market,” he says. “And to me that just screams Quebec more than anywhere else in Canada.”

Spark Foundry’s Montreal affiliate now consists of 12 members, a number that Taylor describes as “not insignificant, but insignificant when compared to some of the larger players there.”

L’Heureux’s appointment follows the company’s rebranding from MediaVest Spark in June and the winning of the Keurig and Fromageries Bel media accounts within the last six months.