CBC/Radio-Canada on Wednesday announced Barb Williams, executive vice president of English services, is retiring from the CBC.
“Over her six year tenure at the national public broadcaster, Williams reimagined the way the CBC could serve existing audiences and welcome new ones, all while navigating the complexities of a global pandemic and the relentless pace of digital transformation,” reads a CBC press release announcing Williams’s retirement.
“The CBC we know today was born out of Barb’s vision to make our English Services platform-agnostic, a transformation that repositioned how Canadians consume CBC’s content,” CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard said in a statement. “Barb’s dedication, integrity, and passion for public broadcasting has propelled CBC forward. Her presence will undoubtedly be missed by all who had the pleasure of working with her. I am incredibly grateful for her immense contribution.”
Williams will continue to work with CBC into early 2026 to ensure a smooth transition for her successor, with that search to begin shortly, the press release said.
Williams joined CBC in 2019 after leaving Corus Entertainment in October 2018, where she had been executive vice president and chief operating officer. She joined Corus as part of its acquisition of Shaw Media in April 2016, having served as Shaw Media’s president and its senior vice president of content prior to that.
Her 40-year career in the Canadian media industry has included previous roles as executive vice president of content at Canwest Broadcasting (acquired by Shaw Media in 2010), senior vice president of programming and production at CanWest MediaWorks, vice president and general manager of Quebecor Media’s Toronto 1 channel, and senior vice president of lifestyle programming at Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting.
Photo of Barbara Williams borrowed from CBC’s website
