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Joel Holtby

Co-founder & Global Co-Chief Creative Officer, Courage

AdvertisingToronto

Joel Holtby is a Toronto advertising creative who co-founded Courage in May 2022 with Dhaval Bhatt, both arriving from Rethink, and serves as the agency's founder and global co-chief creative officer. Ad Age named him Creative Director of the Year in 2020, and his work has won multiple Effies and Cannes Effectiveness Lions.

Joel hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Joel co-founded Courage, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

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Quick answers

Did Joel Holtby co-found Courage?

Yes. Strategy, 2022-05-11, reported the agency's launch as "Led by co-founders and CCOs Dhaval Bhatt and Joel Holtby alongside president and partner Niki Sahni," and noted the founders were senior staff who had left Rethink the previous month.

What is his role at Courage today?

Courage's own about page at courageinc.com, checked 2026-09-20, lists him as "Founder & Global Co CCO." Strategy, 2026-02-19, quotes "Joel Holtby, founder and co-chief creative officer at Courage" on the agency's Simplii Financial agency-of-record win.

Where is he based?

The ADCC speaker profile for its In Conversation event, 2024-02-22, states "Joel lives in Toronto" and describes him as Founder & Co-CCO of Courage.

What has his work won?

Courage's bio page for Holtby at courageinc.com, checked 2026-09-20, says he was named "Number 1 Art Director in Canada" by Strategy and "Creative Director of the Year" by Ad Age, and that his work has earned multiple Effies and Effectiveness Lions for brands including Molson Coors, Nestle, Kraft Heinz, KFC and IKEA.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 20, 2026