Toronto, Thursday 9th July 2026: Tug, the independent, AI-powered brand and performance marketing agency, has promoted Michael Ozburn to General Manager, North America. Michael moves up from Head of Paid Media, having joined Tug just over a year ago, and brings more than a decade of experience building data-driven performance strategies across some of the most competitive verticals in digital marketing. He will report to Founder and CEO Nick Beck.
The promotion follows a period of sustained growth for Tug, including a raft of new business wins, and adds further leadership strength to the agency’s North American operations.
Michael’s career has been defined by a deliberate pursuit of breadth – spanning media planning, data and analytics, brand strategy, and full-funnel execution across sectors including retail, technology, healthcare, financial services, and automotive. He brings particular depth in measurement and analytics, with a focus on establishing meaningful causation between brand activity and commercial outcomes, including detailed audience modelling work for some of the world’s biggest brands.
Prior to Tug, Michael spent over six years at Beyond Marketing Group, progressing from Digital Marketing Manager to Associate Director of Data Strategy, and most recently held the role of Associate Director of Demand Generation at Directive.
Michael is an acclaimed speaker on brand-building and media planning, and has served as a guest lecturer globally on data and analytics in marketing.
Nick Beck, CEO & Founder at Tug, said: “Michael’s promotion reflects both his individual impact and the broader momentum we’re seeing at Tug right now. Michael’s detailed, joined-up approach to performance and revenue gives our clients a real edge, and his focus on building a team around the right people, not just the right CVs, has been central to how we’ve grown in North America. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want driving our next phase of growth.”
Michael Ozburn, General Manager at Tug, said: “I’m thrilled to be stepping up as GM at such a pivotal time. As AI reshapes the advertising landscape, we are at the forefront of this change with an analytical and consultative mindset. My focus will always be on scaling our teams and client work by fostering a collaborative environment filled with emotionally intelligent, talented people who have a passion for doing great work. I believe it gives us an advantage in strategy and execution in the face of rapidly changing consumer behaviour, new tools, platform updates, and everything else that comes our way. Thank you to Nick and the rest of the executive team for trusting me in this role.”
Tug operates across six global offices, with teams in London, New York, Toronto, Berlin, Sydney and Singapore.
