Cairns Oneil Strategic Media co-founder and partner Sherry O'Neil will retire at the end of the year, capping a 43-year career that has seen the Canadian media landscape in which she started reshaped by technology, but still fundamentally dependent on relationships.
One of Canada's most accomplished media executives, O'Neil announced her impending retirement on Monday via an email and
One of Canada's most accomplished media executives, O'Neil announced her impending retirement on Monday via an email and
LinkedIn post entitled "Love Letter to Media." In the letter praising the profession, she said it was time for a new generation to take over the day-to-day leadership of the company she launched with former Dentsu Canada executive David Cairns in 2012.
She will retain an ownership stake in the company along with Cairns and Devon MacDonald, another seasoned media executive who joined the agency as its first president in 2021.
O'Neil and Cairns brought MacDonald aboard with an eye towards eventually handing over day-to-day agency leadership. Cairns stepped away from his full-time role last year, and O'Neil said she was inspired to follow suit by how successfully he made the transition.
"This is a three-year plan in the making, and it was just a question of when each one of us wanted to pull the trigger," she said. "David stepped out first, and when I saw how much he enjoyed it, I thought 'Okay, if he can make this work, I think I'll give it a try.'"
Along with MacDonald, the company has bolstered its managing director team with the recent additions of Kelly Miller and Badr El Fekkak to a team that also includes Tim Hughes and Robin LeGassicke.
"While I remain curious and inspired by the industry, I also know that it is time to let the next generation drive our growth and fuel our teams with the excitement and energy that they deserve," said O'Neil in her letter. "Our team is built to support our original vision of a senior led agency but energized with a team of young professionals who are hungry to grow and lead."
She is among the last of her peers still working in the industry. "There aren't many left, and I sure wasn't interested in being the last one," she said. "I respect everything the other leaders in the industry have accomplished, and I leave with a clear conscience. I've had an incredible experience working with hundreds and hundreds and people over the years."
Particularly gratifying, she said, were the many notes she received from people who've worked alongside her over the years telling her how much she impacted their career. Her unique approach to management that shaped Cairns Oneil translated to a turnover rate well under 10% since it started.
"That means the world to me," she said. "If you're in a people business, having good feedback from the people you've influenced is huge."
O'Neil started her career in advertising with McKim in 1981. Once the media services arm of BBDO, it would eventually evolve into OMD Canada, where she spent more than a decade—departing in 2008 as one of the country's most senior broadcast buyers, always ready and willing to offer a blunt assessment of the industry and its practices.
She then spent three years with Astral Radio, followed by a brief stint with Sears, prior to founding Cairns Oneil with aspirations of making it the country's largest independent media agency—"we're not anywhere near there yet, but that was an ambition in the early, early days," she said—and ensuring that clients always had ready access to senior leadership.
Today, Cairns Oneil boasts more than 50 employees and a growing client list that includes Plan International Canada, restaurant operator Sir Corp., MTY Food Group, Nature's Path, and sports betting company 888 Sport.
In addition to the customary post-retirement itinerary of family, friends, and travel—first up is an extended February trip to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia—O'Neil said she also hopes to mentor young entrepreneurs. "I hope to be able to contribute with some insights on how to run an innovative, smart business," she said in her letter.
Speaking with The Message on Monday, O'Neil said she's "very at peace" with her decision, although she did note that someone offered her a job within two hours of her making her retirement public. "I'm still marketable," she said, laughing. "I can't take them up on it, [and] nor do I want to work that hard," she said. "If I'm going to work that hard, I might as well work for my own company."
She will retain an ownership stake in the company along with Cairns and Devon MacDonald, another seasoned media executive who joined the agency as its first president in 2021.
O'Neil and Cairns brought MacDonald aboard with an eye towards eventually handing over day-to-day agency leadership. Cairns stepped away from his full-time role last year, and O'Neil said she was inspired to follow suit by how successfully he made the transition.
"This is a three-year plan in the making, and it was just a question of when each one of us wanted to pull the trigger," she said. "David stepped out first, and when I saw how much he enjoyed it, I thought 'Okay, if he can make this work, I think I'll give it a try.'"
Along with MacDonald, the company has bolstered its managing director team with the recent additions of Kelly Miller and Badr El Fekkak to a team that also includes Tim Hughes and Robin LeGassicke.
"While I remain curious and inspired by the industry, I also know that it is time to let the next generation drive our growth and fuel our teams with the excitement and energy that they deserve," said O'Neil in her letter. "Our team is built to support our original vision of a senior led agency but energized with a team of young professionals who are hungry to grow and lead."
She is among the last of her peers still working in the industry. "There aren't many left, and I sure wasn't interested in being the last one," she said. "I respect everything the other leaders in the industry have accomplished, and I leave with a clear conscience. I've had an incredible experience working with hundreds and hundreds and people over the years."
Particularly gratifying, she said, were the many notes she received from people who've worked alongside her over the years telling her how much she impacted their career. Her unique approach to management that shaped Cairns Oneil translated to a turnover rate well under 10% since it started.
"That means the world to me," she said. "If you're in a people business, having good feedback from the people you've influenced is huge."
O'Neil started her career in advertising with McKim in 1981. Once the media services arm of BBDO, it would eventually evolve into OMD Canada, where she spent more than a decade—departing in 2008 as one of the country's most senior broadcast buyers, always ready and willing to offer a blunt assessment of the industry and its practices.
She then spent three years with Astral Radio, followed by a brief stint with Sears, prior to founding Cairns Oneil with aspirations of making it the country's largest independent media agency—"we're not anywhere near there yet, but that was an ambition in the early, early days," she said—and ensuring that clients always had ready access to senior leadership.
Today, Cairns Oneil boasts more than 50 employees and a growing client list that includes Plan International Canada, restaurant operator Sir Corp., MTY Food Group, Nature's Path, and sports betting company 888 Sport.
In addition to the customary post-retirement itinerary of family, friends, and travel—first up is an extended February trip to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia—O'Neil said she also hopes to mentor young entrepreneurs. "I hope to be able to contribute with some insights on how to run an innovative, smart business," she said in her letter.
Speaking with The Message on Monday, O'Neil said she's "very at peace" with her decision, although she did note that someone offered her a job within two hours of her making her retirement public. "I'm still marketable," she said, laughing. "I can't take them up on it, [and] nor do I want to work that hard," she said. "If I'm going to work that hard, I might as well work for my own company."
