Canada Media Fund restructures its senior management team

Canada Media Fund (CMF) has announced a re-structuration of its executive leadership team with new appointment in key roles of the company. As a result of the departure of two valued senior leaders at the CMF—Chief Operating Officer Sandra Collins, who will leave the organization in September 2022 after 15 years at the CMF; and former Chief Strategy Officer Kelly Wilhelm, who left late 2021 to work back in federal politics —a new leadership team will be the driving force behind the CMF’s new content-centric, platform-agnostic program model, which aims to build on what the CMF heard from the industry.

“The CMF is restructuring its executive leadership, as the organization embraces change and prepares to respond to the needs of Canada’s screen-based industry now and as the future unfolds,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, Canada Media Fund. “With this restructuring, the CMF will be better positioned to focus on talent development, content development, and market development, ensuring the wide diversity of our storytellers is front and centre. Content is our true north star.”

“I have guided the Canada Media Fund through restructuring in the past and I know that change doesn’t always come easy, but I am privileged to have a fantastic team of skilled, talented, and experienced people at all levels of the organization that have shared their ideas and vision for the future of the CMF. This is an opportunity to build on the CMF’s long-standing support of our industry, to deliver innovative and inclusive ways to showcase Canadian talent, and to get the CMF future-ready,” added Creighton.

NEW TEAM
Nathalie Clermont—Executive Vice-President, Content Strategy & Business Development, will lead the development and implementation of strategies and new models for the audiovisual sector, enabling the CMF to meet the needs of the industry more adequately, now and into the future.

Rod Butler—Vice-President, Content & Regulatory, will be responsible for further developing the CMF’s content funding policies and advising on legislative and regulatory issues that impact the CMF.

Mathieu Chantelois—Executive Vice-President, Marketing & Public Affairs will lead the Communications team, public affairs outreach, and marketing initiatives, and will work closely with the Growth & Inclusion team.

Tamara Dawit—Vice-President, Growth & Inclusion will continue leading the organization’s inclusion strategy with a renewed focus on growth. A newly hired Director of Growth & Inclusion will support Tamara. “Since I joined the CMF nearly two years ago, we’ve positioned inclusion as not only a business imperative, but as part of our core CMF values,” said Dawit. “Intersectional Inclusion is a critical driver for our industry’s growth. The Canadian screen sector is made stronger through the participation of diverse creators and their stories. I’m proud to be a champion for these voices.”

CMF is in searching for a new Executive Vice-President Finance & who will be held with an emphasis on a Finance, Innovation and Analytics skill set.

Richard Koo—Vice-President, Analytics & Strategic Insights will incorporate the work currently overseen by the Industry and Market Trends team, which is responsible for the Key Trends Report.

Creighton sees these leadership changes as a spark for inspiration. “I’m excited about the future of the CMF and our industry. Congratulations to the new senior management team. Together, we will position content at the centre of what we do with new strategies, models, financing tools, and new partnerships to keep Canada’s storytelling successful in world markets. Consultation is in the DNA of the CMF, and we will work with our stakeholders to embrace and celebrate change in the screen-based industry, as we prepare to become future ready. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”