As of January 1, Magalie Boutin is the new Director, Communications and Public Affairs, for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). She succeeds Lily Robert, who recently announced her retirement after an 18-year career with the organization. Magalie previously served as Head of Media Relations, starting in 2018, and as Co-Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, from 2022 to 2024.
"I'm very pleased to welcome Magalie Boutin to this leadership role. With her deep knowledge of cultural industries and communications, Magalie has the vision and energy to promote the NFB. She is a dynamic personality who brings a fresh sense of vitality to the organization and to her teams. Her leadership rallies the talents of those teams, showcasing filmmakers and their works in all their diversity," said Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB.
Since coming to the NFB, Magalie's achievements include the critical work she led-working closely with internal teams-to highlight the NFB's film offerings in a diverse array of media, contributing to the undeniable success of the nfb.ca streaming platform. In addition, she developed winning strategies to promote the NFB's documentaries and animated films at Canadian and international festivals, from the Oscars to Cannes and from the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She also developed numerous alliances with key industry partners, leading to initiatives such as {RE}DEFINED, which was created in collaboration with TIFF and is currently ongoing.
Magalie is deeply committed and has developed many fruitful partnerships between the NFB and other organizations, including the Black Screen Office (BSO), Women in Film & Television (WIFT), OYA Black Art Coalition, Coalition M•É•D•I•A•, the Animation Festival of Halifax (AFX), and more. She has also contributed to and supported a number of initiatives aimed at promoting best practices and organizational priorities in the area of EDI at the NFB-including the implementation of the self-declaration form for artists working with the NFB.
Magalie has more than 25 years of experience in communications, notably with Tourism Québec and with Quebec's Ministry of the Economy, Science and Innovation, and has been very active in cultural industries with organizations such as Fondation Dynastie. She is a member of the Quebec Association of Public Relations Professionals (SQPRP) and was part of Concertation Montréal's Groupe des Trente cohort for 2024-2025. In 2023, she was one of 300 emerging leaders from around the world invited to participate in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Study Conference.
