Anthem Worldwide, part of the brand development practice of Des Plaines, Ill.-based Schawk Inc., said it appointed AJ Schlake-Betz managing director of the company’s Canadian operations.

“I am excited by the opportunity to lead such an amazing group of talent at Anthem’s Canadian headquarters,” Schlake-Betz said. “For years, they have been earning accolades in Canada and the U.S. for their brand-development work on very visible global, national and regional brands that consumers love.”

With a background of 20+ years in branding and design, Schlake-Betz has played a part in the development of more than 50 brands, Anthem said. She was a creative director with Interbrand for more than 14 years and a senior designer with the Benchmark Group, which Schawk acquired in 2007. She has worked on Procter & Gamble brands for most of her career, playing a key role in the evaluation, revolution and extension of many of P&G’s billion-dollar brands.

Prior to assuming the new role, Schlake-Betz managed the strategy, creative and account services for one of Schawk’s long-term, progressive-thinking clients, Anthem noted. Here, she gained exposure to Schawk’s brand-deployment expertise and how to help the client connect this value to the value created by Schawk’s brand-development practice.

“This new role is a natural next step for AJ,” said Anne Dean, former managing director of Anthem’s Canadian office and newly appointed vice president, client integration, across the Americas for Schawk and Anthem. “Her deep knowledge of strategy and design earned through working with so many pedigree brands, along with her experience in connecting our brand-development and brand-deployment offerings will ensure that Anthem continues to bring distinctive value to our clients.”