Branded Cities Canada Rebrands as Cieslok Group with TorQuest Backing
2026-09-17 · via DailyDOOH
Branded Cities Canada has renamed itself Cieslok Group and installed Jörg Cieslok, a veteran of the Canadian out-of-home business, as president and CEO. The move puts the company back under Canadian ownership and leadership, backed by capital from Toronto-based private equity firm TorQuest Partners, according to the announcement.
For digital signage operators and media buyers working the Canadian market, the name change matters less than what sits behind it: a portfolio of large-format digital displays in some of the country's highest-traffic environments. The announcement lists Yonge & Dundas and Union Station in Toronto, The Well, digital highway displays along the Gardiner Expressway, Highway 27 and the 401, and what it describes as the only digital signage on Lakeshore Boulevard. In Montreal, the portfolio includes screens at ROYALMOUNT, several autoroutes, the Mirabel gateway corridor, and DIX30. Other assets named include West Edmonton Mall and Ottawa transit shelters.
Cieslok is not new to this inventory. He began his career painting murals in Toronto in 1990 and later worked on some of Canada's earliest full-motion digital OOH screens at Yonge and Dundas, according to the release. His return as CEO effectively puts his name back on a network he helped build.
TorQuest Partners, which the release says has more than $5 billion in equity capital under management since 2002, is positioning this as a growth investment rather than a turnaround. Managing partner Daniel Sonshine is quoted calling the platform "compelling" and pointing to Cieslok's operating track record. The announcement does not disclose deal terms, the size of TorQuest's stake, or what happens to existing Branded Cities branding and contracts outside Canada.
For screen operators and advertisers, the practical questions are what changes on the ground: whether Cieslok Group plans new digital installations across the named locations, whether existing ad sales and programmatic relationships carry over unchanged, and whether the rebrand signals consolidation moves elsewhere in the Canadian OOH market. The release frames the priority as investing in the existing portfolio and expanding relationships with brands and landlords, but gives no specifics on capital expenditure, screen counts, or timelines for any buildout.
The rebrand is also notable for what it says about ownership trends in Canadian out-of-home media. A platform previously operating under a US-linked Branded Cities name is now explicitly marketed as Canadian-owned and Canadian-led, with a private equity firm rather than a strategic OOH conglomerate providing the capital. Whether that structure leads to different investment priorities than a media-company-backed operator remains to be seen.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Branded Cities Canada Becomes The Cieslok Group
Cieslok Group has announced that Jörg Cieslok , a pioneer of Canadian Out-of-Home advertising for more than three decades, has returned to lead the platform that now carries his name, backed by the capital of Toronto-based TorQuest Partners.
Effective now, the company, formerly known as Branded Cities Canada, will operate as Cieslok Group, Canadian-owned and Canadian-led.
Jörg Cieslok , President and CEO of Cieslok Group, told us “Outdoor advertising has been my life’s work for more than 35 years. I have always believed the best locations are not just advertising space. Done properly, they become part of the city. I’ve had the privilege of building some of Canada’s most recognized Out-of-Home assets over my career, alongside many talented people, and that passion for the business never left me. This is a return to the industry I know and love, with a platform that has strong assets, strong relationships, and real opportunity ahead. My focus is straightforward: build on what is already here, invest in the portfolio, and create media that matters to brands, landlords, and the cities we operate in.”
His roots in the Canadian Out-of-Home industry run deep. He began his career in hand-painted murals in Toronto in 1990 as a 23-year-old immigrant with no advertising background, in a market built on paper posters. He went on to help build some of Canada’s first full-motion digital Out-of-Home screens at Yonge and Dundas. Three decades later, he is putting his name back on the door.
Cieslok Group launches with one of the most valuable Out-of-Home portfolios in the country, anchored by landmark environments including:
Toronto: Yonge & Dundas, Union Station, The Well, Gardiner Expressway, Highway 27, 401, and the only digital signage on Lakeshore Boulevard, plus Rutherford Marketplace Digital
Montréal: ROYALMOUNT, Autoroutes 10, 15, 25, 30, 40, Mirabel (main gateway to Québec’s ski/cottage country on the A-15), and DIX30
Other cities: West Edmonton Mall, Ottawa Transit Shelters
Daniel Sonshine , Managing Partner, TorQuest Partners, said “Cieslok Group is a compelling platform, anchored by some of the strongest Out-of-Home assets in Canada and led by an operator with a track record few in this industry can match. We are excited to partner with Jörg and look forward to supporting the company’s continued growth.”
TorQuest Partners is a Toronto-based private equity firm and one of Canada’s leading middle-market investors, with more than $5 billion in equity capital under management since its founding in 2002. TorQuest partners with founder- and family-led businesses to accelerate growth through capital, operating expertise, and long-term strategic support.
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