Academy Grows Leadership, Announcing Rebecca Ho as President
Fresh off new wins and a growing client roster, Academy has named Rebecca Ho (No Fixed Address, Cosette, Publicis) as president to lead the social-first agency through its next phase of growth. Since launching in 2023, Academy has expanded from specialising in content production and performance to a full-service social-first agency building brands that matter.
As advertising budgets continue to shift away from traditional and toward social, Academy’s North American client list is expanding. New work includes social and digital content for Almave, a non-alcoholic tequila alternative co-founded by Lewis Hamilton; social commerce and content for health and wellness subsidiaries of Wellmore Holdings (Great Lakes Wellness, Jade Leaf Matcha); social-first brand strategy and design for Heal Wellness; and brand re-launch for Student Price Card.
“Academy was an early adopter of social-first thinking, and our clients get it—we need to look beyond content and six-week campaigns, and toward social-first brand identities, IRL experiences and new platforms like TikTok Shop and live shopping. This is how we marry long-term business goals with today’s social strategies, and better deliver what brands need to say through the lens of what people actually care about—and where they’re actually spending their time,” said Cainan Querido, managing partner, Academy. “Rebecca brings the advertising rigor we need for our new-school social savvy. She knows how to play by the rules, but isn’t afraid to break them—and that’s what we need in a president as we grow.”
"By its very nature, social-first means the ability to anticipate the next pivot, and adapt before anyone else. This makes Academy one of the most resilient teams in the industry, designed for the constant state of evolution," said Rebecca Ho, president, Academy. "Helping to shift Academy from content production and performance to a social-first agency while positioning it for growth has been the most rewarding role of my career so far, and I am excited to lead us through this next chapter."
Rebecca has been with Academy as executive vice president since July 2023, and came to the agency with an extensive background in business leadership and results-orientated operations. The founding partners Chelsey Burnside (creative & content), Sabrina Babooram (strategy), Peter Reitano (performance), and Cainan Querido (production) remain active in the business, while Rebecca oversees the team of leaders delivering Academy’s robust service offering.
Academy’s social-first lens extends beyond digital to include brand identity and strategy, as well as campaign strategy, all driving back to where audiences are spending the most time. With roots as a studio, the agency continues to offer direct-to-client productions. Earlier this year, long time collaborator Megan Leahy joined the agency as executive vice president to lead a new partnerships division and add social-first PR to the list of services offered, tapping into a large network of influential creators and tastemakers.
“Academy is founded on the belief that the audience move to social is a gift to the ad industry—take your six-week campaign budgets and get more ‘matter that matters’ out of it. More content, more impact, more connection. Get the lift from the campaign spike, then nurture your newfound community long-term,” said Sabrina Babooram, partner, Academy. “With the best of the rest catching up to social realities, Academy's expanded service offering is our approach to cutting through the multi-agency bloat that has plagued our industry, and our promise to continue evolving in order to deliver on the business outcomes we're known for.”
Other recent project work includes for Rakuten Kobo and Sleep Country Canada, and retained work includes MilkUP Ontario, Dairy Farmer of Ontario’s gen z-oriented sub-brand; Porter Airlines, as the airline continues to expand across North America; and Wave Financial, the simple money management solution for small business owners.
