GroupM in Canada Announces Sports & Live for Advertisers

Sports and Sponsorship Veteran Jim Kozak Tapped to Lead Team

Toronto, Canada (July 25, 2023) – GroupM in Canada today announced GroupM Sports & Live, a new partnership and brand engagement division to provide advertisers with impactful, multi-platform sports marketing programs. Helmed by industry veteran Jim Kozak, GroupM Sports & Live will comprise a team of specialists that will offer Canada-based clients unmatched expertise at the intersection of media, advertising and sports with sports-specific brand consulting, partnership marketing and media partnership amplification.

Established upon an ironclad foundation of consumer and brand insights, GroupM Sports & Live will bring together GroupM’s best-in-class investment and content capabilities to identify, secure and develop sports marketing programs that engage consumers in meaningful ways at a time of rapid growth. The sports sponsorship market in North America has seen an approximate 9.3% year-over-year increase since 2020 according to recent data.

“GroupM Sports & Live will work across GroupM agencies to offer our clients scale and seamless access to engaged audiences through outstanding, sports-centric opportunities.” said Kevin Johnson, CEO, GroupM Canada. “We have seen significant growth in this space over the last few years so this move to formalize the offering and invest in its growth is a testament to the opportunity and to the team’s ability to deliver outstanding sports and live experiences to our clients.”

GroupM in Canada is committed to identifying, creating and executing optimized sports programs and sponsorships for clients that will have agency-level adjacencies and integrations across EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker with leadership from Jim Kozak, Executive Vice President, GroupM Canada Sports & Live.

“The sports industry is naturally built upon tenets of community, enthusiasm and passion,” said Kozak. “Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to participate in the evolution of the sports media and sponsorship landscape, and never has there been a time so ripe to bring attentive fans and breakthrough brands together.”

With more than two decades of experience in global sports marketing, Kozak has partnered with brands in every category to deliver award-winning programs that drive business outcomes, most recently leading top-tier agency teams at EssenceMediacom and Wasserman.

For more information about the Sports & Live offering in Canada, please contact your client lead.