WINNIPEG – Political and business heavyweight Derek H. Burney, O.C., has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of CanWest Global.
He joined the Board of CanWest in April, 2005 and will take over the chairmanship from interim chair David Drybrough, who has held the position since March 2005. Drybrough will remain on the board and continue to serve as chair of the audit committee.
Burney is senior strategic adviser to the law firm of Ogilivy Renault and is a visiting professor and senior distinguished fellow at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he lives. He also serves as lead director for Shell Canada Ltd. and is on the board of directors of TransCanada Pipelines Limited.
Previously, he served as president and CEO of CAE Inc. and prior to that, was chairman and CEO of Bell Canada International. From 1989 to 1993, Burney served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States. From March 1987 to January 1989, he was chief of staff to the Prime Minister of Canada.
"Since joining the board, I have been struck by the challenges, opportunities and new demands facing Canadian media companies as they adapt to dynamic changes in the media marketplace in Canada and globally," said Burney in a statement. "As chairman, my priorities will be to ensure that the company maintains a strong and responsive corporate governance culture together with sound and cohesive strategic and financial strategies that will enable the Company to grow."
