TORONTO — SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) announced Tuesday afternoon its CEO, Eric Baptiste (pictured left), has resigned, effective immediately.
With the end of the current CEO contract approaching, Baptiste thought it was time to move on and he and SOCAN’s board reached a mutual decision to end his tenure now, says the news release.
“We thank Eric Baptiste for his leadership over the past 10 years,” said Marc Ouellette, president and chair of SOCAN’s board of directors, in the news release. “During this time, SOCAN has seen growth and has maintained its presence as a leader in serving music creators and publishers in Canada and around the world.”
Jennifer Brown (pictured right), senior vice-president of operation and reproduction rights, has been appointed as SOCAN’s interim CEO during the formal process to identify a permanent CEO. Brown has been on SOCAN’s executive team for nearly 10 years. She was previously vice-president of the organization’s licensing department and has worked with SOCAN for more than two decades.
Baptiste’s decision to resign is purely coincidental to the current Covid-19 crisis, says the release. The board of directors has full faith in SOCAN’s executive management team and the organization continues to operate at full capacity, according to the release.
