Today, the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the appointment of Sylvain Lafrance as Chairperson of Telefilm Canada. His five-year term will begin on May 9, 2024. This appointment is the result of a rigorous, open, transparent and merit-based selection process.
With a career spanning more than three decades at CBC/Radio-Canada, Sylvain Lafrance has made his mark as an expert in the fields of media management and communications. Before leaving the organization in 2011, he held the position of Executive Vice-President, French Services, where he led the integration of the Crown corporation's radio, television and Internet services. Under his leadership, CBC/Radio-Canada launched innovative projects such as the TOU.TV platform, marking the beginning of the digital era for the broadcaster.
Sylvain Lafrance later joined HEC Montréal as Adjunct Professor and Director of the Media Management Hub, where he continues to influence the media landscape with his expertise. He is also the Director of the journal Gestion, a quarterly publication on major trends in the management world.
At the international level, he currently chairs the board of directors of TV5 Numérique. He will step down from this role once a replacement is appointed. In the past, Mr. Lafrance chaired the Communauté des radios francophones publiques and was a member of TV5Monde's board of directors. He has also been a key player in the development of media strategies in Canada and the internationalization of French-language content.
Mr. Lafrance has received a number of prestigious awards. He is a member of the Order of Canada, a Knight of the Ordre de la Pléiade, a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
