Cairns Oneil welcomed Pam Hill in the role of managing director.

Hill, who spent the last decade in an SVP managing director position with PHD Media, tells MiC she was intrigued by the business model at Cairns Oneil, now just shy of its eighth anniversary. “Their approach is that experience and people are very key,” she says. “With all our clients, very senior and experienced people work very hands on.”

For Hill, that meant a return to getting more directly involved at the client level, something she had not been active in for the last few years, she says. In her new role, Hill joins the leadership team of Tim Hughes, Robin LeGassicke, Sherry O’Neil and David Cairns.

“This is an independent agency, where, based on our size, everything you do really contributes to the growth of it, and you can see it,” says Hill, who is now part of a team that’s just under 30.

Hill says as Cairns Oneil has made digital “a very big focus” over the last year, presenting her an opportunity to build on her business and people skills, while gaining more hands-on experience, digitally.

Prior to PHD, Hill was with MediaCom for seven years and has also worked at Cossette and the former MacLaren McCann.