Canada Media Fund welcomes new appointments to its Board of Directors
Toronto, July 5, 2021 – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announces 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. Prior to that, he served as head of Business and Legal affairs at Score Media. Jason practised as a technology and corporate lawyer at McCarthy Tetrault LLP, taught at Ryerson University and Osgoode Hall Law School, and serves as an advisor to several start-ups in the sports, technology and direct to consumer commerce industries.
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. Prior to that, she held the role of Vice President, Consumer Marketing at Rogers Wireless. Her professional experience has centered on responding to customer needs and expectations in the context of media and telecommunications products and services. She holds a BSc in Molecular Biology from Concordia University.
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. Ms. Coulombe is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Corporate Directors at Laval University. She chaired the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Québec, was one of the founding members of the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques and sat on the Board of Directors of the Table de concertation de l'Industrie cinématographique et télévisuelle de Québec. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Arsenal Media and of the Ethics and Governance Committee of the Office du tourisme de Québec. Ms. Coulombe is a Chartered Director (C.Dir.).
“On behalf of the CMF and the board, I would like to welcome Jason Badal, Sanae Takahashi and Chantale Coulombe,” said Alain Cousineau, Chair of the Board of Directors. “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.”
“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,” said the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage. “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!”
Mr. Badal and Ms. Coulombe are nominated by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Ms. Takahashi is nominated by the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Expression (CCCE), representing Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors. Current Board Directors Alain Cousineau, Barry Chapman, Alison Clayton, Guy Fournier and Gary Pizante were renominated by the CCCE and Michael Schmalz was renominated by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The CMF Board of Directors is fully independent from management, its funders, and any beneficiaries. For additional information on the CMF Board of Directors and the corporation’s governance policies, please click here.
About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors. Please visit cmf-fmc.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
André Ferreira
Senior Communications Manager
416-554-2768
aferreira@cmf-fmc.ca
