New faces part of growth strategy for national new media association

Two years into its existence the Canadian Interactive Alliance/Alliance Interactive Canadienne (CIAIC) has finally hired its first executive director. And while CIAIC board members are congratulating themselves for finding such a fitting end to what was at times a frustrating search, we at Tech Media Reports can only say that their gain is our loss. At its second annual general meeting in Toronto on August 16 CIAIC introduced James Lewis as its inaugural executive director. Lewis, of course, has been the editor of Canadian NEW MEDIA since July 2005 and editor of Canadian Communications Reports since January 2006. Previous to joining Tech Media, he built a strong resume as writer and editor for several Rogers Media business publications. "I think one thing we've learned is that you really have to be immersed in this industry for a while before you can understand some of the dynamics behind it," says CIAIC president, and president of Interactive Ontario, Ian Kelso. "Here's somebody who has been spending the last couple of years in the thick of it talking to companies, talking to government, and really understanding what the issues are. Once his name came up it was pretty much a unanimous decision."Kelso adds that finding an executive director had been a goal of CIAIC since it's inception, but the funding for a permanent staff member wasn't initially available. Now, however, the association has a dedicated director to help lead build CIAIC's profile as the united voice of Canada's new media industry. Kelso continues: "I think it really is a bit of history. Fifteen years from now we're going to look back and say ‘that was when the organization really started. There's the first executive director who really got a chance to craft and mould a lot about what the vision is going forward for this industry.'"CIAIC's second AGM featured several other additions and position changes as well. Kelso, for instance, stepped into his role as incoming president, replacing founding President Lynda Brown, who is stepping down from three years leading New Media BC to return to industry. Also, Solange Blanchard, general manager of Alliance numeriQC, Albert Jame, board member from SaskInteractive, and Mark Sandiford, board member from the Interactive Media Alliance of P.E.I., were all elected to CIAIC's board. And Digital Media Association of Alberta director Greg Gazin was re-elected to a second term on CIAIC's board as well.The association identified funding and investment, talent, training, development, and immigration policies, and foreign and domestic markets as the three key priorities that will govern its activities on behalf of the interactive media sector in Canada. And as it steps out of its start-up phase, CIAIC is primed to strengthen its national voice."Certainly having a unified voice on any particular subject is a much more powerful indicator to the policy makers and the politicians that there is a strong consensus in the industry around particular issues," says Kelso. "It makes it a simpler equation in terms of looking at particular issues. This way we can provide really strong direction to the federal government to attack obstacles and ways to overcome challenges." Finding the right executive director, says Kelso, was the key piece of the puzzle. While Kelso acknowledges that Lewis was eventually the obvious choice to step into the new position, he didn't surface as an option right away. CIAIC board members began searching knowing they needed someone who was knowledgeable about the commercial side of the new media industry, as well as the policy aspect. "We were stumped for a little while, sort of scratching our heads thinking ‘who could really take that on?'" says Kelso. "Eventually somebody said ‘what about James?' And immediately we all kind of went ‘Duh.' It was one of those obvious choices that was sitting in front of our noses...I can't imagine anyone else having a better acumen and a better set of experiences coming into the position, so really once James' name came up there was nobody else." Lewis' role with CIAIC begins September 10.

New faces part of growth strategy for national new media association

News | 09/07/2007 4:13 pm EDT

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