Jean Hugo Filion Sees Cossette Montreal’s Next Chapter with Full Confidence
Some big news came out of Cossette Montreal late last month when it was announced that the long-serving Jean Hugo Filion would be taking on the role of general manager. Coming into the position with an aim of elevating the agency’s creative output, strategic consulting and implementation of cutting-edge technology, this move represents the shop’s desire to reinvent itself to match the rapidly evolving landscape of adland.
Of course, it’s also an exciting new chapter for Jean Hugo. Not only does this promotion come shortly before his 20th anniversary at the company, but having already been a crucial figure in the evolution of Cossette’s digital offering, he’ll be looking to have similar success in the categories of creating culture-defining work, and driving business results. Whether it’s through leaning on the strengths of the agency and the resources at its disposal, exploring new opportunities with emerging products and services, or driving deeper integration across its disciplines, all will be in service of addressing the challenges of leading brands – an opportunity which the new general manager is very excited for indeed.
To learn more about his aims, goals and ambitions, as well as what the early days have been like, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Jean Hugo for a chat.
LBB> Jean Hugo, congratulations on your new position! What does this appointment mean to you?
Jean Hugo> Thank you. In three words, I am grateful, inspired and confident.
Firstly, I am deeply grateful to be starting this new challenge alongside such talented team members, partners and clients. Since I started at Cossette, I’ve had the chance to work with brilliant and stimulating people, both within our team and among our clients and partners. I owe them a lot, and I am grateful for the impact they have had – and continue to have – on my professional journey.
This summer will officially mark my 20th year at Cossette, and I still feel the same inspiration as I did on the first day. It’s such a unique place; we learn and have fun every day. It's precious.
Finally, I see our next chapter with full confidence: We have the talent, the culture, and the innovation plan needed to take the next step in our evolution.
LBB> Tell us more about this. What are you hoping to accomplish in your new position, both on a personal and agency-wide level?
Jean Hugo> We are living in an era of great change for communication agencies with mergers, the internationalisation of certain expertise, or the exact opposite – a sharp rise in automation. Add to this the current global economic and social context that we are all closely monitoring and you’ve got a world of challenges, but also opportunities open to all.
At Cossette, we love a good transformation and we want to double down on creativity. First, we need to know our current and future place, and then affirm it while continuing to evolve the agency's offer to ensure our future-proofing. This involves calibrating our creative vision and even our business model.
From a product point of view, and in a world where we are bombarded with noise on more and more platforms, the solutions we imagine for our clients must be even more insightful, based on experience, and above all, enduring. We cannot add more disposable noise. We have to focus on meaningful connections.
Finally, on a personal level, I challenge myself to be an even more collaborative and inclusive leader. This is imperative, especially nowadays.
LBB> What have the early days been like since stepping into this new role? Has your day-to-day changed dramatically?
Jean Hugo> I am fortunate to have started this new role on familiar ground and with a solid foundation built over the years by the agency's previous and current leadership. So, I’m starting from a strong position!
The change that excites me the most is having access to even more perspectives from my peers. It allows me to question myself, and, frankly, to question us. Also, I allow myself to take an even greater step back on a daily basis – it's very necessary in this role.
LBB> Notably, you’ve expressed a desire to elevate creative and strategic offerings, while also embracing cutting-edge tech. How will you tackle all three simultaneously, ensuring everything gets the love it deserves?
Jean Hugo> They are intimately linked, in my opinion. I strongly believe that we must always put people at the centre of everything. Our job is to connect with humans and we will continue doing it, mainly with human creativity.
Also, it was essential for me to form a management committee that is representative of all the expertise central to the needs of our clients and capable of proposing innovative solutions. Beyond the power of thinkers, we need to nurture a culture of curiosity and teamwork. Technological innovations are a major pillar of our growth strategy. They remain a means to serve creativity and an accelerator of our clients' business performance. In these exciting times, we need to identify the big bets, implement them quickly, and learn continuously.
LBB> If done correctly, what will this look like? How does Cossette Montreal need to reinvent itself for the demands of the marketing landscape in 2025?
Jean Hugo> Everything starts with our talents: We will continue to offer a roster of thought leaders unique in the market who truly nurture clients.
In the current context, we will seek to focus even more on game-changing thinking in all areas; high-level strategic and creative thinking coupled with well-orchestrated automation to propel it. Our talents will be increasingly enabled by tech. We will continue to develop unique proprietary products like AIOS, to build custom solutions orchestrating the power of AI, and to integrate new ways of doing things into our own processes.
LBB> Of course, you also emphasised leaning into preexisting agency strengths to get there. In your opinion, what are these? What resources do you have at your advantage, and what will they allow you to do?
Jean Hugo> Cossette has a unique position and experience in the market as a creative force that’s demonstrated business intelligence, all with a proven ability to adapt. Every day, we reach 95% of Canadians. This gives us a lot of influence across the country, but it also comes with a responsibility that we take seriously.
Since 1972, Cossette's clients have been leaders in all categories, which has provided us with exceptional credentials. We have created a true powerhouse from coast to coast, and we have learned to master more than 40 disciplines.
We ourselves have gone through many changes, reinventing ourselves each time. We have gone through recessions, economic downturns, geopolitical disruptions, different types of shareholder/corporate structures, a pandemic, and new ways of working. We have constantly adapted our practices to a rapidly changing market. We are resilient; it is the fruit of more than 50 years of experience which allows us to navigate with confidence in complex economic environments and to pass on this business intelligence to our clients. Cossette has also remained young at heart, thanks to our audacity and our obsession with creativity and innovation!
LBB> Your promotion also comes with a few others taking new roles – how will you all be working together to better the company?
Jean Hugo> Our management committee perfectly represents all of our expertise, and is a unique network of perspectives that build upon each other. Among the principles that drive us, we find adherence to a common vision and the sharing of knowledge. We are very involved in our clients' businesses, and that makes all the difference.
This is also something we try to impart across the agency. Our invitation to all our talent is to be curious. To innovate in our profession, you have to have curiosity, but also feel safe in the process. Trying it means adopting it, so we want our teams not to be in silos and instead feel encouraged to create links between experts, all in service of better creative solutions.
LBB> Finally, moving back to you – have you taken the time to celebrate your new position? How are you embracing the title of general manager?
Jean Hugo> To be honest, it has truly been a beautiful moment to share with my longtime colleagues and newer partners. I won't hide the fact that we celebrated well, and there was a bit of emotion!
I'm also an avid traveler, and I'm leaving soon for Vietnam. I'll surely raise a glass to this new chapter, surrounded by my loved ones.
