United States-headquartered Pinterest has appointed Kristie Painting as its new country manager for Canada.
Pinterest started its search for a country manager last June, looking for a candidate with a strong background in the digital media industry, an understanding and established network in the Canadian consumer internet market, and a strong focus on operations.
Painting has been working at the intersection of media and technology for more than two decades. She will join Pinterest from media agency Wavemaker Canada, where she has served as CEO since 2018.
Prior to Wavemaker, Painting managed local and national digital sales teams at Bell Media. She also led the development of Bell Media’s advanced TV capabilities. From 2002 to 2006, Painting served as Yahoo Canada’s strategic account executive.
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As Pinterest’s new country manager for Canada, Painting will be responsible for leading the sales team and working with brands and agencies to expand Pinterest’s advertising program in Canada. She’s expected to start her role in April, reporting to Erin Elofson.
Pinterest’s Canadian growth efforts were previously led by Elofson, who has since moved into the role of head of Canada and APAC region.
Created in 2010, the image sharing site, which has over 400 million monthly active users, claims it has a growing user base in Canada. According to Nielsen, Pinterest has almost 11 million monthly unique visitors in the country.
According to the company, its Canadian division will further help local brands reach their target audiences.
Painting’s appointment follows Pinterest’s launch of its Toronto engineering hub in 2021 which saw 50 new hires, marking its first international hub. Pinterest opened its first office in Canada in 2018.
Featured image courtesy of Pinterest