CCR People

Michael O’Brien has been named to the board of directors of Shaw Communications Inc. Formerly, he held a number of senior management positions with Suncor Energy Inc., most recently as executive VP of corporate development. Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.’s Motion Picture Distribution unit has named Xavier Marchand as the new managing director of its London UK-based Momentum Pictures, effective January 1. Massive cutbacks at the company’s production division have resulted in the exit of Entertainment Group CEO Peter Sussman and Seaton McLean, the group’s president of production. Bernard Courtois is the new president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). He has served in a variety of regulatory, legal and executive roles with Bell Canada since 1991 (CCR, Dec. 10/03). Noah Cowan has been named to the position of co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival, effective January 1. He will be responsible for the overall programming and administration of the festival in collaboration with Piers Handling. Handling, who was recently promoted to director and CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, will spend more time on the group’s Cinématheque Ontario, Film Circuit, the Film Reference Library, Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children, and Talk Cinema. Derwyn Smith has become VP of CTV Newsnet and Paul Rogers VP of CFTO News. Other senior news appointments at CTV include Lis Travers being named as VP and executive producer of Canada AM, and Mark Sikstrom as executive producer of CTV News Syndication. John Rooney left his post as the Western regional executive director of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) on December 19 after 11 years with the organization. Rooney said it was time to take up new career challenges. Jon Medline has joined Global Television Network in Toronto as director of regulatory affairs, reporting to VP Charlotte Bell. He has held the same job at Look Communications Inc. and also worked in regulatory at Baton Broadcasting, the forerunner of CTV Inc. Jennifer Neziol has completed her contract as communications officer at TSN. Dianne Kapral returned to the position on January 5 after her maternity leave. Denise Cooper has been promoted to VP of business and legal affairs at CHUM Ltd. and as general counsel to the company. Her responsibilities include all business and legal affairs for CHUM’s radio and television divisions as well as non-broadcast units CHUM Radio Sales, CHUM Satellite Services, CHUM Interactive and CHUM Television International. She was most recently VP of business and legal affairs at CHUM Television. Paul Godfrey and professor Ronald Daniels have been nominated to stand for election to the board of directors of CanWest Global Communications Corp. The election will be held at the company’s fourth annual general meeting of shareholders in Montreal on January 29. Godfrey is currently president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club and is the former president and CEO of Sun Media Corp. Daniels is the dean of the faculty of law at the University of Toronto. Debbie MacLeod has joined Novanet Communications Ltd. as VP of sales and marketing. She will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities in both the broadcast and telecom sectors. As well, Eugene Kwong becomes director of technical services. He has over 20 years experience in the broadcast and telecom markets, where he has designed, installed and commissioned numerous satellite, microwave and fibre solutions for Canadian broadcasters, specialty channels, telcos and DTH providers. Paula Pettit is the new national director of industrial relations in the Toronto office of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association. She is the former manager of agreement administration at the Writers Guild of Canada. Zoran Stakic has been named VP of information services (IS) at Shaw Communications Inc. He is responsible for providing strategic and tactical planning, development, evaluation and coordination of IS initiatives, and continued business development to better serve Shaw’s customers. Chris Bartleman, Studio B Productions Inc; Trish Dolman, Screen Siren Pictures Inc.; and Karyn Edwards, Brightlight Pictures Inc. have been elected to the 2004 B.C. Branch Council of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association. Julia Keatley, Keatley Film Ltd.; Lisa Richardson, Dogwood Pictures Inc.; Tom Rowe, Network Entertainment Inc.; and Mary Anne Waterhouse, Quadrant Motion Pictures Inc. were re-elected to the B.C. Council. Jean-Claude Mahé has been appointed director of communications and public affairs at Telefilm Canada. He has held the position on an interim basis since July 2003. David Colville has had his appointment as CRTC vice-chair extended by a year. His salary range is $152,200 to $179,000. Roland McCaffrey is the new GM of Cape Breton cable operator Seaside Communications. He recently replaced longtime GM Anita Delazzer, who left the company to join a government agency. Hélène Chalifour Scherrer has replaced Sheila Copps as minister of Canadian Heritage under the Paul Martin government. Scherrer, who was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2000, was a surprise appointment at Canadian Heritage. Ralph Goodale has taken over from John Manley as minister of Finance, and Lucienne Robillard has moved to the Ministry of Industry from the Ministry of Labour.

CCR People

Broadcast | January 15, 2004

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