MANDRAKE EXPANDS FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING PRACTICE 

TORONTO, December 22, 2000 - Stéfan Danis, President and CEO of Mandrake, one of Canada's largest privately held executive search firms, is pleased to announce that Civia Lee Verstraete has joined the firm as a Project Manager leading the expansion of Mandrake's Finance and Accounting practice. 

Civia holds an MBA in Finance from McGill University. Her background also includes 15 years of experience in finance and brand management with various consumer packaged goods companies, including Woodbridge Foam Corp., Sheaffer Pen Textron Canada, and Gillette Canada Inc. 

Most recently, Civia worked as an Executive Search Consultant with a boutique search firm specializing in the placement of Finance and Accounting professionals. Her search experience includes placements across various industries, including retail, consumer packaged goods, as well as public accounting, manufacturing and technology. 

"I am excited to join a firm with the amount of diverse practice areas as Mandrake," said Verstraete. "I look forward to using my skills and abilities to further develop the finance and accounting practice within all our verticals." 

"It's a privilege to have someone with Civia's credentials at Mandrake," said Danis. "I am certain she will be a valuable asset in bringing our work in finance and accounting to a whole new level." 

Established in 1970, Mandrake offers services in Executive Search, Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Alliances and Organizational Consulting. With offices in Toronto, Montréal and Calgary, and affiliates worldwide, practice areas include Marketing and Sales, Advertising, Marketing and Creative Services, Finance, Retail, Healthcare, Government Services, Associations, Law, Transportation, Information Technology, and Interactive and Emerging Technologies. 

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For more information contact: Civia Lee Verstraete at (416) 922-5600 ext. 238, e-mail verstraete@mandrake.ca; or Julie Argles, Marketing Communications Coordinator, (416) 922-5600 ext. 350, e-mail argles@mandrake.ca.