The TAXI team came out in force to meet pitch consultants at the 2010 Ad Forum Summit, and in the process displayed a commitment to their new European office, HQ'd in Amsterdam.
Rob Guenette, CEO of the TAXI group, set the scene: "Showbusiness. Paul is the show and I'm all business". Since Rob's arrival in 2004, TAXI, has expanded into seven offices, including Toronto, New York - and now Amsterdam.
Founders Paul Lavoie, Chairman, and Jane Hope, Vice-Chair, have a knack for hiring bright minds, people packed with a passion for more than just advertising.
Jane Hope knows what she's talking about, as an advocate for the power of strategic design and integrated communications. With a background in fine art and fashion illustration, Jane brings another perspective to the work of TAXI worldwide. An approach which rallies both agency and client around a consistent articulation of a brand at all touchpoints.
Steve Mykolyn, Chief Creative Officer, is known as a renaissance man. His love of architecture, books, film, design, and everything else with a creative heartbeat, has led him to award-winning integrated work, as well as extra-curricular projects such as co-curator of the Canadian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Architecture.
And TAXI Europe? Executive Creative Director, Maarten van Huijstee, is a culture junkie - and was a DJ; Eric Verhage, General Manager, started a car racing team when he was still a student; and Christopher Andrews, with his natural talent for leadership and diplomacy, promoted bands - until he was in one.
About the work and the process, Paul Lavoie had the final word: "We take our clients exactly where they want to go. And we drive real fast on the way."
Enjoy the ride.