TORONTO – Kirstine Stewart has had the ‘interim’ label removed from her title after officially accepting the role of executive vice-president of CBC’s English Services, the public broadcaster said Monday.
"The broadcasting landscape continues to change rapidly. CBC has before it an opportunity to deepen its relationship and engage with Canadians in new ways. Kirstine Stewart is just the person to lead CBC into that future," said president and CEO, Hubert T. Lacroix, in the announcement.
Stewart, who was formerly general manager of CBC Television, took on interim EVP title last August after Richard Stursberg was abruptly let go. Lacroix called Stewart “the clear choice for this important role”.
"Kirstine has helped drive a renewal of the organization through one of the most challenging periods in its history”, he continued. “She has demonstrated during her period as interim executive vice-president that she is more than up to the challenges and responsibilities of the job and is recognized in the industry as one of the country’s leading broadcast executives. She also has a well-established reputation as a builder of relationships and partnerships, which are vital to the future of Canada’s national public broadcaster."
Prior to joining CBC, Stewart was senior vice-president of programming at Alliance Atlantis from 2003- 2006. In her current role, she will oversees CBC’s national operations, approximately 5,000 employees and a $785 million budget covering multiple media platforms across the country.
"I feel it is a privilege to lead an organization that has such an important place in the hearts and minds of people across this country”, Stewart said. “Canadians have always expected that their public broadcaster reflect, engage and inspire them, and by increasing CBC’s commitment to Canadian content, we will recognize and respect this country’s unique attributes. We will work hard to connect Canadians and facilitate conversations both national and local by expanding our coverage on new platforms and to new places. CBC will define contemporary public broadcasting and continue to play a vital role in the cultural life of this country."
