TORONTO – After 14 years leading provincial public broadcaster TV Ontario, Lisa De Wilde (right) announced today she will depart at the end of October, the end of her current contract term.
De Wilde is the second senior Ontario public broadcast executive to depart, following TFO’s Glenn O’Farrell, who left his job as CEO in August. Both are long-time Liberal supporters, so it’s perhaps no surprise they decided to leave at this point in time. De Wilde was also rumoured earlier this year to be in the running to take over as head of the National Film Board, but Claude Joli-Coeur was re-appointed back in July.
De Wilde has been TVO’s CEO since 2005 and has led much of the change in the organization from local educational broadcaster to digital learning portal.
Prior to leading TVO, De Wilde was president and CEO of Astral Television, and legal counsel for the CRTC. She is a member of the board of directors of Telus, as well as several others.
“It has been an incredible honour to lead TVO at a time of massive transformation,” she wrote in her letter announcing her departure. “It has been a privilege to work with leaders of all stripes in my role, beginning with Premier William Davis for his unwavering vision and support for TVO.
“I am proud to say that we have transformed TVO from an analog Ontario-based public broadcaster to a borderless, multi-platform digital publisher focused on learning and current affairs. For that I want to recognize every team member who has worked alongside me for this past decade and a half.”
