MDC Partners Backs Partnership With Three Industry Heavyweights to Form Union, a New Agency Created from the Canadian Operations of CP+B

TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MDC Partners announced today that it is backing the launch of a new Canadian advertising agency born out of the operations of CP+B Canada.  Union will be led by three of the Canadian advertising industry's most respected and sought-after leaders, Lance Martin, former Executive Creative Director of Taxi 2, Subtej Nijjar, former President of CP+B Canada, and Dave Carey, formerly of Lowe Roche.

"Union offers the kind of talented, experienced and modern team that will produce great work that will drive tangible, measurable financial returns for clients," said Miles Nadal, Chairman & CEO MDC Partners. "Clients are looking for innovative creative solutions and insights that deliver impactful results, and these partners represent the kind of digital thinking, modern strategic insight and creative disruption that can create, build, and catapult businesses.

Continued Nadal, "This is an extraordinarily exciting time in the Canadian advertising marketplace, and one that MDC Partners has a passionate interest in because of our Canadian heritage.  We strongly support CP+B's focus on global growth, and we are thrilled to establish a new Partnership, with the formation of Union and its exciting entrepreneurial mission."

CP+B will continue to service its international roster of clients CP+B through its five global offices in Miami, Boulder, London, Los Angeles and Sweden.

"We love our Canadian partners and are very proud of the work that we've done together," said Andrew Keller, CEO, CP+B.  "We believe their best opportunity for growth and success will be as an independent agency.  We are great fans of Sub and look forward to the success of Union."

"We see an opportunity to take advantage of the changes in today's marketing landscape by helping make our clients' brands more useful to consumers - emotionally and functionally," said Sub Nijjar.  "With the team we have assembled, we can create lasting unions between brands and consumers by finding ways to become a welcome, valued part of their lives at precisely the right times."  Added Lance Martin,  "Impact isn't about media choice, it's about finding those human truths and fresh connection points that lets consumers embrace a brand on a personal and emotional level.  Our intention is to help create brands that people want to invest in because the brands' value to them is personal and unrivaled."

Union will provide clients with the opportunity to work collaboratively with an innovative new agency designed as a cross between a big idea shop and technology start-up.  The agency's creative problem-solving approach will merge deep brand strategy skills with the sophisticated modern discipline of user experience.  By taking the thinking and tools traditionally reserved for digital experience design and embedding them into the strategic process, the agency will drive brand-building that is more valued by consumers and more closely tied to business growth than ever before.

The three Union Partners each bring a diverse background that will feed the highly entrepreneurial, hands-on culture of the agency.  One of Marketing Magazine's "Ones to Watch," Nijjar brings with him over 14 years of strategic and digital planning experience working on global brands like IBM, Microsoft, IKEA, Unilever, BestBuy, Under Armour and Domino's, as well as Canadian clients in industries ranging from consumer packaged goods to non-for-profit.  Carey, who has 17 years of experience in the industry, joins Union from Lowe Roche, where he was Senior Vice President of Client Services and helped lead new business for the agency.  Carey also brings to the role unique experience in building agencies, having helped launch the Innocean Canada office in 2009.

Rounding out the Union partnership, 18-year agency veteran Lance Martin brings one of the strongest creative resumes in the industry, most recently serving as Executive Creative Director at TAXI 2.  During over a decade at TAXI, Lance was integral in the creation of the agency's most awarded work for clients including MINI, Koodo, Nike, Viagra, Canadian Tire and most recently on Kraft Mio.  Union will also benefit from the leadership and mentorship of Andy Macaulay, who will take on the role of Chairman for the new company.

About MDC Partners Inc.
MDC Partners is one of the world's largest Business Transformation Organizations that utilizes technology, marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

MDC Partners' durable competitive advantage is to Empower the Most Talented Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders to Drive Business Success to new levels of Achievement, for both our Clients and our Shareholders, reinforcing MDC Partners' reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives."

MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZ.A".

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SOURCE MDC Partners