In 1992, Paul Lavoie co-founded TAXI with partner Jane Hope, successfully combining the disciplines of advertising and design. Growing into seven offices in Canada, the U.S., and Europe, and with an expanded product offering, TAXI remains committed to its original vision. TAXI has been recognized in the industry for its fresh, unconventional approach, creating consistently strong brands for companies such as BMW/MINI, WestJet, Canadian Tire, Blue Shield of California, Pfizer/VIAGRA, and TELUS. TAXI has been named Agency of the Year by Canadian publications for seven years and has been recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for the last five years. Since arriving in the U.S. in 2005, TAXI garnered the AAAA Creative Excellence Award (<100 employees) in 2007 and again in 2008.

Marketing magazine, in August 2008, named Lavoie one of the 10 most influential pioneers in Canadian marketing over the past century. In 2006, he was listed by Creativity magazine among the 50 most influential creative minds of the last 20 years. That year, he also became the youngest inductee of the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends. In 2007, Paul received the Spiess award for lifetime achievement by the Canadian Bessies Awards. Paul is the President of The Art Directors Club Advisory Board, a member of the Marketing Advisory Committee of the MoMA, and a board member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.

What Clients Say:

“Paul is made up of the following: irreverence, passion, quality, humanity, practicality and intelligence.” “Paul is one of the last truly original creative people in this town. If creative is a funnel, Paul operates at the top – at 50,000 feet – finding you the freshest ideas in the world.”

Known throughout the advertising industry for his passion and energy, Rob has worked on both the client and agency sides of the business.  As a client, he was with Unilever for 14 years before moving to Molson in 2000 as a brand VP, and later as VP Global Advertising Director.  Rob joined TAXI Canada in 2004 as President, and has been the Global CEO since 2008, with responsibility for Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

Rob combines his passion for advertising, design, culture, and the arts with what he calls a “blue collar” management style.  He built his early career as a marketer with a reputation for buying the best work that the advertising industry could produce.  A profile in Strategy magazine described him as “the most outspoken and successful evangelist for making advertising that has attitude.” 

Steve Mykolyn joined TAXI in 2001 as Creative Director of Interactive and Design. The Toronto-based agency is recognized globally for its ability to seamlessly combine Advertising, Interactive and Design under one roof. Prior to joining TAXI, Steve was Creative Director at Organic Inc. and ICE. Over the last ten years, he has produced online campaigns for Sony, Levi’s, NIKE and MINI, winning hundreds of awards including Cyber gold at Cannes, a Pencil at the One Show, D&AD and Communication Arts. Steve also has a passion for books and film. In 1997, he wrote and directed El Dia La Noche Y Los Muertos, an award-winning documentary about Mexico’s Day of the Dead Festival. The film was chosen to close Hispanic Heritage Month at the Smithsonian Institute. Steve’s books include the writing and design of Amusing World for photographer Russell Monk as well as Metal Leather Flesh, an exploration of motorcycle culture.

What Clients Say:

“Our challenge was coming up with something that could speak to three totally different audiences. Steve listened to our needs and came back with the right choices. The point is – he listened, he got it and he helped us get it.” “I’m always intrigued when he does a presentation. He’s laid back. And this, coupled with his sense of humour, lets him say things that others wouldn’t get away with. It’s always fun to have Steve in the room and to see something through his eyes. It can be quite different than what’s expected.”

Jeremy combines strong leadership and business skill with an immense passion for communications and culture. He is known for his high standards and encouraging new thinking in all forms. His astute management skills have made him a strong leader, regularly counted on to understand and clarify business issues.

After six years at Grey Worldwide working on businesses like P&G, Unilever, GSK, and Canon, Jeremy joined TAXI Canada as Group Director, managing all communications for TELUS Mobility, Corporate and Business Solutions Groups. Next, as TAXI’s Client Services Director, he led, mentored, and developed TAXI’s Account Services Group while it tripled in size over a two-year period.  In 2006, Jeremy opened and led TAXI 2, the much-anticipated TAXI offspring. Over the past four years, TAXI 2 has grown to be a full-service agency with it s own client base that includes MINI, Koodo, Burger King, Yellow Pages and Johnson & Johnson.  In July 2009, Jeremy returned to the Toronto headquarters to assume leadership of both TAXI Toronto and TAXI 2 offices as General Manager. In July 2010, he was appointed President of TAXI Canada’s English operations. For the past six years, Jeremy has been a member of TAXI Canada’s Executive Management Group, responsible for the overall operations and management of the agency.

Jeremy was recognized as one of Strategy Magazine’s Next Generation Marketing Icons in 2007. Jeremy is a board member of Covenant House in Toronto, and a past board and executive committee member of the ICA.

Jack’s got a natural inquisitiveness for human motivation. He has a unique ability to identify the connection between human and brand truths and inspire creative teams to bring those truths to life. Jack has in-depth experience with all imaginable kinds of information – including qualitative, quantitative and of course, intuition – to guide clients to fundamental strategic ideas and incorporate those ideas into every facet of the work.
Although Jack is a Vancouverite, he has spent the past 13 years living in the US and has applied his strategic knowhow across a number of brand categories and for leading agencies. He has worked on a range of accounts including: Amtrak, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Four Seasons, Choice Hotels, Blue Cross, Brown-Forman - Jack Daniels, Monster.com and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Jack holds a Master’s degree from Boston University’s School of Communication, where he taught a graduate course in Brand Planning. When Jack’s not in the office, you will likely find him with his wife and dog at the beach or on the trails.

Whether brand evangelist, therapist, guardian, consumer champion, or agency advocate, his intent is always building brands and building business. Russ took the reins as Managing Director of TAXI Calgary in October 2008 following four years at TAXI Toronto where he led the Nike, Molson, and McCain businesses. Prior to joining TAXI, Russ worked on the Canadian Tourism, Panasonic, and Michelin accounts at DDB Canada. Truly tireless in his quest to engage and deliver results, Russ spends his time outside the office shouting himself hoarse in support of his beloved Irish Rugby team.

Karen always takes the high road. A focused and spirited humanist, Karen wants to be sure that the goal is met and that everyone’s input is valued. That crusading spirit served her well when Karen helped open the doors to TAXI Calgary in 2005, and then again for TAXI Vancouver in 2007. And, as if the busy schedule of a new business start-up was not enough, in her spare time Karen co-founded a not-for-profit dance company for professional dancers in Calgary. Despite Karen’s fresh face and refreshing perspective, she is no novice to the advertising industry. She has experience on accounts like TELUS, BC Lotteries, Boston Pizza, Direct Energy, United Way, and Ski Banff/Lake Louise with her attentive people skills and commitment to always going that extra step. Karen has gathered a lot of faithful followers on her journey; clients and team members alike will confirm that she sets the same high standards for managing a client’s budget as staying strategically focused. Karen currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Advertising Agency Association of British Columbia, is an avid reader and concertgoer, and when she really wants to pick up the pace, she relishes a boot camp workout.

If it seems like Dave has a feeling for the intricate rhythms of design, it comes to him naturally. A born lover of music, his dream of playing drums for the Rolling Stones was crushed at an early age. However, he quickly rebounded and turned his attention to design. Dave is, and will always be, an idea man. He believes that although visual trends may come and go, good ideas are timeless. Over the last 10 years, Dave has created international award-winning work for such clients as Nike, MINI, Butterfield & Robinson, Molson and the LCBO. After a previous 4-year stint at TAXI, Dave was excited to return in 2006. He was named Creative Director in 2007. He looks forward to growing TAXI’s philosophy of holistic branding long into the future. Unless, of course, he gets the call from the Stones.

Two decades ago Brian saw the future and it was pixels. In the years since, Brian’s work has spanned the digital spectrum, including online marketing, strategy, user experience design, web development, and media planning. And he’s done it for some of the best, including stints as Director of Marketing Strategy at Sapient and Director of Engagement Management at Organic.

He’s built and led teams in the development of large-scale online acquisition and retention initiatives and has deep experience leveraging online, social, and mobile platforms to transform traditional sales and customer service models. In other words, he’s done it all.

Brian has brought his talent to dozens of brands, including Canadian Tourism Commission, TELUS, Bell, Rogers, RIM, Scotiabank, KeyBank, RBC, Bank of Montreal, Harris Bank, TD Canada Trust, Honda/Acura, BlackBerry, The Brick, Under Armour, SportsNet, Benjamin Moore and Apple.

Ben knows what’s at the forefront of technology, but he also knows human nature. His wisdom is in mining the space in between, and in understanding that a true technology solution doesn’t need to be complicated – it needs to be compelling. Ben began building interactive solutions back in the infancy of the Internet, when CD ROMs and kiosks where as cool as it got. As the Web evolved, Ben was there, eager to find new ways to respond to clients’ needs from the simplest sites to full-fidelity experiences. Now Ben’s definition of cool is helping teams bring ideas to life with technology solutions well measured and well matched to the challenge. Prior to TAXI, Ben was Senior Manager of Interactive Development at industry heavyweight Sapient. There he had a hand in some of the largest interactive projects in North America. Career highlights include numerous industry accolades for work on Benjamin Moore, Canadian Tourism Commission, Bell Canada, Sprint Canada, and the Bank of Montreal. In 2005 and 2006, Ben was a judge at the technology and design show Flash in the Can (FITC).

To put it in financial terms, Ron’s tireless energy, enthusiasm, and drive have been a prime asset in the steady growth of TAXI. Stretching metaphors to the extreme, we could say that, to his credit, TAXI has grown tenfold and evolved into a network, with Ron invested in providing a strong financial balance sheet. Or that Ron earned his previous experience at Ralston Purina and Gucci Timepieces. Or that his biggest dividend has been TAXI being named one of Canada’s 50 best managed companies every year since 2003. But Ron doesn’t need plays on words to describe his always refreshing perspective and his unwavering support of the creative process.

With over 16 years of experience within the branding and communications industry, Simon has developed a unique approach to IT solutions for enterprise.  By putting people first and technology second, he brings a human approach to IT, providing solutions that support the creative and business goals along with a foundation for continued success.

Todd brings to TAXI a wealth of financial and strategic knowledge, a proven track record of business success and strong business acumen.  After receiving his Chartered Accountancy and Certified Internal Auditor designations with Arthur Andersen, Todd went on to become a Controller at Iams Canada where he was responsible for redesigning and implementing a new framework of financial reporting and instituting a sound suite of internal controls. Todd would later join Maple Leaf Foods, a tenure that included developing new products in conjunction with the marketing department. His leadership abilities and vast skill set were utilized in the role of Director, Product Management, a responsibility that encompassed sales, manufacturing and strategy for half a billion dollars of product. He also served as the Senior Director of Internal Audit Services at Loblaw Companies. It was at Loblaw where he fine-tuned his skills around policy and procedure appraisals and risk management reviews and implementation.