DEPARTMENT STORE MARKETING CHIEF MOVES TO AD AGENCY
By Adnews Staff
Young & Rubicam's Toronto office has hired away Kmart Canada's top marketing person. Diane Pitsolis has joined the ad agency as vicepresident, group director, with clients such as Xerox Canada and AT&T Canada under her wing. She will also be doing new business pitches for Y&R which has retail accounts but not a department store. Pitsolis has 18 years experience in advertising and marketing, on both client and agency side. Much of it has been in retail. In 1991 she joined Ross Roy Canada as executive vice-president and general manager, responsible for the agency's biggest client, Kmart Canada. The Toronto agency evolved into Ian Roberts Ross Roy and went bankrupt in December last year after losing the Kmart account when the retailer decided to handle its advertising in-house. Pitsolis went to work for her former client and was named senior director of marketing, sales and advertising, replacing Gary St. Angelo who became store management and operations vice-president on Feb. 1 this year. The job is now open at Kmart.