Newad announced Monday that it will be combining its creative and client services departments into a single unit, a move that Martine Desjardins, EVP, publishing and content, tells MiC will help it better meet the needs of its clients.

While traditionally it was the job of the client services team to meet with clients and bring their ideas back to the creative department, Desjardins says both teams will now attend client meetings, creating a more direct line of communication between clients and Newad’s creative team.

“We believe the creative team can better understand the needs of the client and bring some ideas to the table, knowing very well the different [advertising] platforms we’re working with,” she explains.

Along with this change, Newad also announced three new appointments within its creative department.

Didier Lortie (pictured), Newad’s former art director, was appointed to the newly created position of creative director, and will oversee the creative teams in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Stepping in as art director following his work at Saint-Lambert, QC-based Sednove as a graphic producer, Zacharie Lavertu-Rondel will help the experiential marketing, indoor advertising, web and content sales teams to develop advertising platforms, as well as oversee Newad’s teams of graphic designers across the country.

Meanwhile, Michael Cadamia, formerly a graphic designer for Mountain Equipment Co-op, will join the Vancouver team as a graphic producer. There he will report to Lavertu-Rondel and work closely with the sales team to present ideas to clients.