CANVAS UNITED TAPS MARK LAINAS TO LEAD INNOVATION

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CANVAS United announced today the appointment of Mark Lainas as President, effective immediately. The award-winning, full-service digital agency is part of the UNITED COLLECTIVE, where Lainas will also serve as Chief Innovation Officer. He is based in New York and reports to Founder and CEO John Gallegos.

In this dual role, the 18-year advertising industry veteran will oversee day-to-day operations for CANVAS United, continuing the expansion of the agency's offerings and its heritage in designing and building digital experiences for brands. Lainas will also drive digital innovation across UNITED COLLECTIVE's three units: CANVAS United, advertising agency GALLEGOS United, and public relations firm ROX United.

"Mark is a visionary leader who brings a wealth of expertise that will benefit our diverse roster of clients," said Gallegos. "His experience in all things related to today's digital landscape and its future transformation—combined with his entrepreneurial spirit and agility—will help us achieve our goal of being the most creatively driven and culturally attuned collective. I am excited to welcome Mark at a time when digital and social media marketing are more critical than ever to the fulfillment of our vision."

"I look forward to working with John and the team to take CANVAS United and the UNITED COLLECTIVE to the next level and generate growth for our clients by providing the innovation needed to succeed in a world that is consistently evolving," said Lainas. "By combining creativity with a deep understanding of technology, we have a powerful proposition for current and future clients. We understand that building robust communication solutions for today's consumer landscape means being culturally attuned—beyond demographics—to consumer behaviors including media consumption, use of technology and their interaction with brands."

He joins the UNITED COLLECTIVE at a time of growth. The independent collective, including CANVAS United, offers general market and multicultural capabilities. UNITED COLLECTIVE's current client roster includes California Milk Processor Board (got milk?), California Department of Public Health, Chick-fil-A, Comcast, Crunch Fitness, Domino's, Kasian Architecture, NYC Pride, SiteOne, and TravelPro, to name a few.

Prior, Lainas was at BBDO Worldwide where he served as Chief Innovation Officer for Europe and then Director of Innovation for the Americas before becoming Chief Innovation Officer for the global advertising agency network's Mars Inc. business. Before joining BBDO, Lainas was Managing Director at Ogilvy Change, the behavioral interventions agency, and at Social.Lab, the social media agency, both within Ogilvy & Mather Group. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Proximity, Red Brick Road and Glue Isobar. He has partnered with a wide range of well-known brands during his career, including Coca-Cola, Expedia, Kellogg's, Mars, Nestle, Tesco, and VW.

Lainas is a board director and trustee at The Ideas Foundation, a charitable organization that helps put creativity back into the classroom by connecting brands, agencies and schools. The organization gives, students who may not have got the chance before, an opportunity to work on live brand briefs and to find a hidden talent for creativity.

About CANVAS United
As a team of innovative digital craftspeople, CANVAS United thinks beyond technology to celebrate and create meaningful experiences that awaken a sense of awe and discovery in people. It requires having unique cultural sensibilities and unparalleled digital creative and technical skill to be able to successfully connect brands to the modern consumer. The agency believes that when you create user experiences in service to people, you're not chasing the cultural landscape, you're shaping it. Improving upon it and delighting people—one digital experience at a time. The award-winning, full-service digital agency has offices in New York City and Huntington Beach, California. For more information, visit canvasunited.com.

About UNITED COLLECTIVE
UNITED COLLECTIVE is a creative communications group with the capability and foresight for the rapidly shifting consumer landscape and the acculturated sensibilities to successfully help brands achieve exponential success. A modern collective of creative, smart, technologically savvy and culturally attuned specialists working independently and in partnership across multiple disciplines, UNITED COLLECTIVE aims to be the most culturally attuned creative company in the U.S. For more information, visit unitedcollective.com.

SOURCE CANVAS United