Christophe Hamel and Georges Thébault-Dagher: Two Talented Professionals From Click & Mortar Who Are Strengthening Our Digital Expertise

The recent merger between Tink and Click & Mortar brings about forty new talents in digital marketing, data science and acquisition strategy to our organization. Among them are Christophe Hamel, Digital Team Lead, and Georges Thébault-Dagher, Digital Marketing and Analytics Strategist, two experts who are joining our teams after more than six years of experience at Click & Mortar.

We sat down with them to learn more about their career paths, their day-to-day work and what excites them most about this new chapter.

To start off, can you tell us a bit about your background and what first sparked your passion for digital?

Christophe: I first completed a bachelor's degree in marketing at Université de Sherbrooke, then I wanted to sharpen my skills for the job market, so I went on to do a master's in e-commerce in 2016. I remember there were only eleven of us in the program at the time; it was still a very niche field. That's really where I fell in love with digital. I loved the creative side of marketing, but I also wanted to add an analytical dimension to my practice. Digital was the perfect way to bring those two worlds together, so I jumped right in and never looked back.

Georges: I grew up in an environment where people were constantly talking about startups, innovation and entrepreneurship. So I was exposed to the business world very early on, whether through my family or the people around me. That naturally led me to take an interest in this field! After graduating from the John Molson School of Business (Concordia University), I took my first steps in a small marketing agency where I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects: from branding to website creation, marketing strategy and event organization like Startupfest and Expo Entrepreneurs. My passion for digital marketing really took off when I started running my first Facebook Ads campaigns; that's when I discovered the full power of data and targeting, and it was a real turning point! That’s when I really realized what I wanted to do: work at the intersection of marketing, data, and entrepreneurship.

How did Click & Mortar come into the picture, and what made you want to stay all these years?

Georges: It was a happy coincidence! Anastasia Skaya — now our Integration and Growth Director — knew Olivier Bergeron, co-founder of Click & Mortar, quite well. She told me: "I have a friend who runs a digital marketing agency; everything you loved doing in digital advertising, you could do it full-on over there." I didn't need to be told twice! I practically begged Olivier to give me a chance: I had virtually no experience in digital, but I had a huge thirst for learning! He and Gabriel Tassé, the other founder of Click, took the bet. Anastasia was also hired at the same time as me.

When we joined Click in 2018, we were a small team, which allowed us to contribute directly to the agency's growth. I was able to get involved in both business development and the company's organizational structure, including helping create several roles, like the strategist position. What made me want to stay all these years is precisely that ability to have a real impact, both on our clients and on the organization. At one point, I wanted to take on a new challenge elsewhere, but I quickly realized just how exceptional the quality of life and the human connections at Click were. So I came back.

Christophe: Like Georges, it happened through word of mouth. I landed my first job as a digital marketing coordinator right after finishing my master’s degree, but I wanted to make the leap to an agency to work with all kinds of clients and push my development further. A friend of mine, who knew that was what I was looking for, ran into Olivier (yep, him again!) one evening and gave him my number. Oli called me, we chatted for half an hour, and I don't think we mentioned work even once during that first call!

The reason I’m still at Click after all these years is the atmosphere within the agency. It's a place where you feel engaged, where you want to push yourself, and that comes in large part from the leadership of Olivier and Gabriel: two guys who teach marketing at HEC, and who invest enormously in their team's development. On top of that, when I arrived, there were only about ten of us, so I had the chance to sit in on strategic meetings, pitch my ideas and even make mistakes in a supportive environment. It's really that freedom that allowed me to grow quickly.

What are the most meaningful lessons you've learned at Click & Mortar, both professionally and personally?

Christophe: I discovered that what I'm most passionate about is helping people grow. The co-founders invested a lot of time in me early on, and that made me want to do the same for others. Seeing a colleague who's just starting out progress and eventually lead client meetings on their own is extremely rewarding. My role as team lead actually grew very naturally from there.

I also learned a lot from working on Click & Mortar's own marketing for five years. Having contributed to shaping the agency's positioning and perception over the years is something I'm very proud of.

Georges: When I started at Click, I was working with small businesses with fairly limited budgets; that taught me how to make the most of every dollar invested. Today, we work with national brands, and one of the most exciting things is taking that approach and applying it to larger mandates.

Another big lesson for me was understanding the value of the human side of work. You can chase a higher salary or a more prestigious title all you want, but at the end of the day, if the environment isn't healthy, nothing else holds up!

What does a typical day look like for you, and what do you enjoy most about your role?

Georges: As a strategist on the data science team, I act as a sort of "Rosetta Stone" between our clients' management and our analysts. I serve as an intermediary who receives requests and translates them into information that our analysts can interpret to generate the metrics we need. Then, I do the analysis and build a comprehensive narrative of what’s happening with digital data.

What motivates me most is putting myself in our clients' shoes to truly understand what keeps them up at night. It’s not just about seeing things from the company’s perspective, but from the perspective of the human being sitting right in front of me.

Christophe: We always start with a team meeting at 9:30 every morning. I'm an early riser, so I take some time before the meeting to do deep work and follow up on projects. Beyond that, my day-to-day involves clearly identifying our clients’ needs, proposing initiatives aligned with their business objectives, overseeing performance optimization, providing digital training, and ensuring the quality of our deliverables.

I've reached a point where I've been able to step back from execution to focus on mentoring and strategy. What I enjoy most is seeing my teammates progress just as much as seeing our clients evolve! When a client who had virtually no digital knowledge a year ago starts asking you pointed questions about their performance, that's when you realize your efforts are paying off.

With the merger between Tink and Click & Mortar, how do you see your expertise evolving within this new organization?

Christophe: After seven years working alongside the same colleagues, the merger gives me the opportunity to learn from new people. Recently, I was put in touch with a UX specialist at Tink for a website conversion optimization audit, and just discovering new processes and new ways of doing things was a real treat for me! The merger also opens the door for me to grow into a management role. And the creative side of my role — which had taken a back seat over the years — could very well make a strong comeback. Working with people who have a solid background in user experience and understanding the "why" behind every design decision is another aspect of digital marketing that really speaks to me!

My generalist background and my hands-on-everything approach mean the merger opens up a huge playground for me.

Georges: I see the merger as a great opportunity to specialize further. At Click, we often had to wear many hats given the size of the agency. With larger teams and more defined roles, I'll be able to sit down and say: "This is the hat I want to wear, and I want to wear it like nobody else!" It also means we'll be able to standardize our services, give them better structure and scale them on a larger level.

I'm really looking forward to combining our performance marketing expertise with everything Tink does in design and development. The concept of digital profitability really resonates with me!

What kind of company culture do you hope to see emerge from this merger between Tink and Click & Mortar?

Georges: I'll admit I was a little apprehensive at first. When an agency of about forty people gets acquired by a larger organization, it's natural to wonder if you're going to become just a number. But that fear quickly faded when I started attending happy hours and meeting people from Tink. I feel like our cultures and values, both very people-centered, are actually quite similar. I can’t wait to shine and help others thrive in this new organization.

Christophe: I completely agree with Georges on this. Teamwork and collaboration are what matter most to me. I want to feel like, from Monday to Friday, I can be the same person I am on weekends with my family and loved ones, in an environment where communication is 100% transparent and well-intentioned, and where everyone feels like they belong. If we can successfully build that sense of camaraderie between our two teams, I think we’ll be able to say mission accomplished!