BrandAlliance (asi/145177) has announced it is centralizing its regional leadership across the U.S. and Canada. The moves are part of the final stages of a two-year implementation of a merger with former distributor Activate! Promotions + Marketing, the company said.

Going forward, Ian Huntley is BrandAlliance’s new Canadian president. Additionally, Huntley will spearhead BrandAlliance’s Western Canada region, which consists of offices in Calgary, AB, Vancouver, BC, and Vernon, BC. Huntley fills the vacancy created by former president Nick Thompson’s departure.

Meanwhile, the restructure includes a newly formed Eastern Canada region, which will be comprised of BrandAlliance’s Toronto, ON, Waterloo, ON, and Montreal, QC, offices. Ian McLearon will lead this region. McLearon also leads the U.S. and Canada Enterprise Accounts Division. Lindsay Alcorn has been promoted to Canada East Regional Vice President and will continue to assist McLearon within the enterprise division. The Eastern Canada region will also see the departure of Montreal President, Valérie Duchense-Carle, while Toronto President, Alan Chippindale, will be shifting back to a business development role.

As a result of the new Canadian leadership changes, the majority of personnel at BrandAlliance's Edmonton, AB, office have chosen to transition to another Edmonton-based promotional marketing distributor, BrandAlliance stated in a press release. The BrandAlliance Edmonton office is closing.

“The idea behind restructuring leadership is one of optimism and ultimately moving forward together as a stronger organization,” said Ian Huntley. “While every move isn’t always going to be the most attention-grabbing or most popular, it’s important that it’s still the right one.”

In the U.S., BrandAlliance’s structure will mirror Canada’s structure. The Central U.S. region and its employees will now be tucked under the Western U.S. region, which is led by Dave Claunch. Billy Booe will continue to lead the Eastern U.S. region.

“This regional realignment and consolidation of leadership will continue to help us realize our goal of a successful merger for all of our stakeholders,” said Fred Parker, CEO of Top 40 distributor A Brand Company, the parent company of BrandAlliance, Grapevine Designs (asi/212829) and Performance Link. “If you want to be competitive in this industry, it’s vital to constantly evaluate your company’s way of doing business, which means being open to change.”

The U.S. and Canada regional restructuring will be completed prior to A Brand Company’s annual sales summit this month.