Superson opens first North American office in Toronto

Superson has opened its first North American office in Toronto, establishing Superson North America.

The expansion brings the Helsinki-founded agency's project-based model to Canada after more than a decade of working with clients in Europe. Its business is built around short, defined assignments rather than long-term retainer contracts.

Toronto will serve as the company's first North American hub, linking its operations in Europe and Asia with the Canadian market. The office is intended to support brands seeking to expand across the Atlantic in either direction.

The move comes as commercial ties between Canada and Europe deepen. Superson pointed to EU-Canada trade in goods and services reaching €130 billion in 2025, up 80% from 2016.

That backdrop helped shape the choice of Canada as its first base in the region. Superson argues Toronto offers European companies a route into North America, while giving Canadian businesses closer access to European markets and expertise.

Alex Shifrin, Managing Director of Superson North America, will lead the operation. He brings more than 25 years of agency leadership experience across Europe and North America.

His previous roles include founding TCF in Eastern Europe, which was later acquired by Publicis, leading Saatchi & Saatchi in the region, and running LP/AD before moving to Grace. He has worked with clients including Coca-Cola, HSBC, Pernod Ricard and Amdocs.

In outlining the rationale for the Toronto launch, Superson linked the expansion to changing economic relations between Canada and Europe. It also described the move as part of a broader effort to build a larger North American presence over time.

"Europe and Canada are talking about building a much closer economic relationship. But ultimately companies have to turn that opportunity into growth," said Alex Shifrin, Managing Director of Superson North America.

"That requires understanding new markets, finding the right opportunities and moving quickly from strategy into action. Toronto gives us a base from which we can help companies access European markets and expertise, while giving European companies a much stronger route into North America," Shifrin said.

Agency model

Superson's North American business will use the same structure it has developed since launching in Helsinki in 2012. The model centres on what it calls Supersprints, alongside specialist teams assembled for specific assignments.

The company positions that approach as an alternative to traditional agency retainers and larger standing account teams. Work is scoped, priced and delivered in focused bursts tied to specific commercial objectives.

Superson describes the approach as "Commercial Creativity". In practice, that means starting with a commercial opportunity, assigning specialist expertise around that need and moving quickly from planning to delivery.

"Marketing organizations don't necessarily need another agency sitting outside the business," said Samppa Vilkuna, Founder & CEO of Superson.

"They need the ability to respond to commercial opportunities faster," Vilkuna said.

"That's what Commercial Creativity means to us. Start with the commercial opportunity. Bring in exactly the expertise needed to solve it. Then use Supersprints to move from opportunity to action quickly. That's what we mean by smart scale," he added.

Transatlantic focus

The move also reflects a wider shift in how some European service businesses are approaching North America. Rather than entering through the US first, some are using Canada as an initial base because of its trading links with Europe and its proximity to American buyers.

Superson says Toronto offers that combination, with strong European connections and access to North American budgets without requiring a full US setup at the outset. The company already operates from Amsterdam and Singapore, in addition to Helsinki and Toronto.

The Canadian office is designed to connect those locations more directly with businesses looking for support in market entry, brand work and commercial strategy. For Superson, the Toronto launch is both a geographic expansion and a test of whether its sprint-based model can travel beyond the European market where it was first developed.

"The commercial direction is already clear. Canada is becoming more interesting to European businesses, and Europe more strategically important to Canadian companies. We want to build the creative infrastructure that helps companies turn that closer relationship into commercial opportunities," Shifrin said.