Organic Taps Boyd to Head Toronto Office

Eager to serve big-spending U.S. clients and expand further into Canada, Organic Inc. has hired Ted Boyd as vice president and managing director of its Toronto office.

“We needed a managing director for Toronto, which is one of our fastest growing offices,” said Mark Kingdon, Organic’s chief executive. “We selected Ted because of his tremendous experience in online marketing in Canada.”

Boyd brings a solid track record to the position, with 20 years of experience at agencies, advertising clients, and interactive companies. Most recently, he served four years as president and general manager of Internet radio broadcaster Iceberg Media. Prior to that, he was the president of e-tailer Indigo Online. Boyd also has served in senior executive roles at Young & Rubicam and the ACNielsen Company of Canada Ltd. Additionally, he cofounded the Internet Advertising Bureau of Canada in December 1997, serving as both president and chairman.

In his new post, Boyd will be responsible for developing Organic’s client base in Canada and working with U.S. offices on some of Organic’s higher profile clients, such as DaimlerChrysler.

Boyd replaces Emily Rayson, who served as vice president and managing director of the Toronto office for two years. Rayson left the company for personal reasons, Kingdon said.

The Toronto office opened in 2000. According to Kingdon, it’s proved an unexpectedly rich source of talent for Organic.

“There are fewer interactive agencies competing for talent in Toronto than in San Francisco or New York,” Kingdon said.

The opening of the Toronto office followed the launch of offices in Detroit (1999), New York (1998), and San Francisco (1993). Organic opened its fourth U.S. office in Los Angeles at the end of 2004.

The Boyd appointment follows closely on the heels of Organic’s creation of a new group-wide creator position last week for Christian Haas, who previously served as creative director of the company’s San Francisco office.

Organic’s new client roster for 2004 included SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Autodesk, and Harrisdirect. Its leading Canadian clients include Benjamin Moore and President’s Choice.