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Seb Rennie reappears at GroupM as Canada’s chief investment officer

GroupM stalwart Seb Rennie – who resigned as the Australian outfit’s chief investment officer last year to “pursue something different” – has been revealed as the CIO for GroupM Canada.

CEO of GroupM Australia Mark Lollback said he was pleased Rennie was in fact remaining in the GroupM family. 

Rennie: Has worked with GroupM and its agencies for over a decade

“Seb is a smart and talented operator and he has made a very positive and significant contribution to GroupM Australia and all of our agencies. I thank him for his hard work. Our loss is Canada’s gain. We’re glad Seb is staying within the GroupM family and we wish him and his family well in their next adventure in Canada,” he said.

When Rennie’s resignation was announced in November, Lollback said Rennie had a long notice period and was welcome to stay as long as he wishes while the company did its due diligence in its search for a replacement.

In February, Mindshare’s chief investment officer Nicola Lewis was announced as GroupM Australia’s next chief investment officer.

In his new role, Rennie will oversee all aspects of GroupM’s media investment, including trading and partnerships on behalf of Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker and m/SIX.

He will report to GroupM Canada CEO Stuart Garvie and join the executive committee.

Garvie said Rennie’s 11-year tenure within GroupM and its agencies in Australia had put him on the international radar.

“Sebastian had a stellar track record delivering value to GroupM’s clients in Australia, which has made him a name on the global stage. The media business is going through rapid transformation creating opportunity and challenge. Experience and ingenuity creating strategic client advantage is more important than ever, as is collaborating with media partners to create rewarding business opportunities. This is what Rennie will deliver to our team in Canada,” Garvie said.

Rennie added: “I’m excited to be joining GroupM Canada and look forward to collaborating with Stuart and our agencies and media partners to drive outcomes which help our clients achieve their business objectives. I’d also like to thank my friends and colleagues at GroupM Australia for a great 11 years.”

Earlier this year, GroupM’s local head of operations and technology Timothy Whitfield left the group and the company subsequently shook up the leadership at its programmatic platform Xaxis.

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