Cossette Media, part of the Plus Company network, has filled the void at the top of the agency with the appointment of co-directors, Martin Soubeyran (pictured left) and Andrew Butts.

Soubeyran has been named general manager of Quebec and East Canada while Butts is now general manager for Ontario and West Canada. Earlier this year, agency president Axel Dumont stepped down from the post and has since started his own consultancy. Butts, who joined the agency in July 2022 as SVP of business leadership, has been filling in as interim leader of the agency.

Karine Courtemanche, EVP of Plus Company Canada and president of the media group, says the new structure was designed to increase the agency’s nimbleness and agility and to make it easier for a GM to be present for clients in each of the agency’s four markets.

Having two GMs also helps to bring more integration between Cossette Media, the agency’s creative side, and the Plus Company. “I think the goal was always to be integrated,” she explains. “Half of our clients are shared clients with the creative agency or with other agencies such as Citizen, for example. That brings in different skill sets for all of our media leaders, where they need to understand media but a lot of our clients also expect unbiased solutions. Sometimes it’s going to be influencers, sometimes PR. Our clients expect our teams to go a little bit further with the 360 media recommendations. This makes it easier for everyone to collaborate.”

Soubeyran brings nearly 30 years of experience working for media agencies in North America and Europe to his new post. Prior to this new role, he held different strategic management positions at Paul Martel / Mediavision and Touché’s offices in Montreal, as well as Havas’ offices in Paris. He has worked with major clients like Orange Telecommunications, Tourisme Montréal, VIA Rail Canada, Danone, Metro, Lassonde and the Producteurs de lait du Québec.

Before joining Cossette Media last year, Butts spent 10 years as part of Group M and WPP, leading the performance marketing organization Neo Media World. He has led key accounts in various sectors such as IBM, Weight Watchers, Nestle, Mazda and Heart and Stroke Foundation.