Minister Guilbeault Announces New Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors

The Government of Canada announces the appointments of Sandra Mason and Bill Tam as part-time directors of CBC/Radio-Canada's Board of Directors

OTTAWA, ON, June 4, 2020 /CNW/ - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today the appointments of Sandra Mason and Bill Tam as part-time directors of CBC/Radio-Canada's Board of Directors. Each will serve a five-year term.

Sandra Mason, of Toronto, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a graduate of Dalhousie University. Ms. Mason is a highly accomplished financial professional with a profound respect for Canadian journalism. As a former Board Director and Audit Committee Chair at The Canadian Press, she oversaw the merger of The Canadian Press pension plans with the College of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan. She has also held the position of Board Chair and Treasurer at Canadian Women in Communications and Technology, a national bilingual organization dedicated to the advancement of women. She was also Chief Financial Officer at The Globe and Mail from 2008 to 2015, where she held a central leadership position during an era of unprecedented competition and technological change in the Canadian media industry.

Bill Tam, of Vancouver, is one of the preeminent leaders in the British Columbia technology sector. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mr. Tam has been actively involved with technology and start-ups as a founder, executive, investor, advisor and board member for the past 20 years. He works to promote entrepreneurship and new economic opportunity while forging partnerships across business, government and post-secondary institutions to establish new accelerated, inclusive growth approaches. He launched the largest technology accelerator in British Columbia, the BC Tech Innovation Hub, and led the creation of The Cube, an accelerator focused on emerging start-ups in augmented, mixed and virtual reality. Mr. Tam serves on the Board of Governors at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design as well as the Innovation Committee of the Rideau Hall Foundation. He is also an industry advisor at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Mr. Tam received his Masters in Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University and his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from McGill University. In 2018, the University of British Columbia awarded him the Applied Science Dean's Medal of Distinction for his contributions to the engineering and technology community.

These appointments were guided by the work of the Independent Advisory Committee on Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors, established in 2017. Minister Guilbeault is extremely appreciative of the work of the Independent Advisory Committee.

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of the country's largest cultural institutions. CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate is to inform, enlighten and entertain; to contribute to the sharing of national consciousness and identity; to reflect Canada's regional and cultural diversity; to provide local, national and international information and analysis from a Canadian perspective; and to contribute to the development of talent and culture in Canada. To carry out this mandate, CBC/Radio-Canada produces, acquires and distributes Canadian programming in English, French and eight Indigenous languages, and distributes a selection of programs around the world.

Quotes

"Today, I am very pleased to announce the appointments of Sandra Mason and Bill Tam as part-time directors to CBC/Radio-Canada's Board of Directors, positions previously occupied by Edward Boyd and Harley Finkelstein. These new appointments are a direct result of a rigorous approach that supports an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process. Sandra and Bill are highly qualified individuals and will surely make remarkable contributions to our national public broadcaster. I also wish to offer my thanks to outgoing members Edward and Harley for serving on CBC/Radio-Canada's board as well as for their time and dedication in providing the highest quality advice and leadership to our national broadcaster."

—The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

Under the Broadcasting Act, CBC/Radio–Canada's Board of Directors is composed of 12 directors, including a Chairperson and a President/Chief Executive Officer, who are appointed by the Governor in Council and who hold office for a term not exceeding five years.

In 2016, the Government of Canada adopted a new approach to Governor-in-Council appointments. This approach respects the principle of diversity and is based on an open, transparent and merit-based selection process. It results in the recommendation of competent candidates who reflect Canadian diversity.

The Independent Advisory Committee on Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors is a non-partisan body composed of nine regionally diverse experts in broadcasting, digital technology and culture. It conducts open, transparent, independent and merit-based selection processes for the positions of President, Chairperson, and Director, in order to recommend qualified candidates for Governor in Council appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors.

The Independent Advisory Committee used published merit criteria to identify Canadians who would make a significant contribution to the work of CBC/Radio-Canada's Board of Directors.

As they become available, all appointment opportunities within the 16 organizations in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio are posted on the Governor in Council Appointments website. Those interested can apply online.

As a Crown corporation in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio, CBC/Radio–Canada is an independent government agency and is responsible for its day-to-day operations.

Associated Links

CBC/Radio-Canada

SOURCE Canadian Heritage