CANADA MEDIA FUND WELCOMES NEW APPOINTMENTS TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced the appointment of Jason Badal, Sanae Takahashi and Chantale Coulombe to its Board of Directors, following the Annual Meeting of Members.

Jason Badal is Director, Multinationals at Shopify. In this role, Jason is global head of the Multinational segment within Shopify, tasked with transforming and bringing mass adoption of e-commerce to the world's largest companies. Prior to Shopify, Jason led Business Affairs and Development at Rogers Media and Sportsnet.

Sanae Takahashi is an experienced strategic planner and marketing professional, now retired, with 20 years of executive experience in the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications industry. She served since 2016 as Senior Vice President, Planning, Insights and Business Models at Shaw Communications after holding various senior leadership roles at Shaw.

A lawyer by training, Chantale Coulombe practiced intellectual property for nearly 20 years at the national firm Norton Rose Fullbright, where she was a partner. Subsequently, she held the position of Vice-President, Corporate and Legal Affairs of the ComediHa! Group, a major creator of audiovisual content in Québec. Coulombe is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Corporate Directors at Laval University.

“On behalf of the CMF and the board, I would like to welcome Jason Badal, Sanae Takahashi and Chantale Coulombe. We look forward to working with them and benefiting from their extensive experience and diversity of perspectives, as we set the organization’s path forward during these times of change for the industry. I would also like to thank outgoing Board Director Lori DeGraw for her valuable insights and dedication to the organization, as well as her commitment to high standards of corporate governance. Her contributions have been a great asset to the CMF and the Canadian screen-based industry,”  said Alain Cousineau, Chair of the Board of Directors.

“The Government of Canada congratulates Jason Badal and Chantale Coulombe, on their appointment to the Board of Directors of the Canada Media Fund and Micheal Schmalz on his reappointment. These independent, experienced, future-oriented individuals bring their talent in support of the largest audiovisual content fund in Canada. I know they will create many opportunities for our audiovisual sector and will show great leadership as the evolution of this important creative industry continues. I wish them great success!,”  commented the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage.