OTTAWA – Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell announced today he will be leaving the association early in 2009.
He has been CEO of the organization since January of 2002, succeeding Michael McCabe.
“It’s never easy to move on from something you passionately believe in, but after seven years and a lot of thought, I have concluded it’s time for me to take on new challenges,” said O’Farrell, in a statement. “I will miss the team of dedicated professionals at the CAB with whom I have worked to strengthen the Canadian broadcasting system in a remarkable period of industry transition."
The association itself is undergoing a period of transition, too, as Cartt.ca first reported here. The board last month named a working group to examine the CAB’s mandate and operational structure and to come up with some new ideas on how the association should look in the future. Its report will be formally presented at the CAB’s next board meeting in February but it has already come up with a set of recommendations, it was announced to the members over a week ago.
There’s no word on who might replace O’Farrell at the top of the private broadcaster’s top lobbying presence, or if the new structure will contain a CEO, for that matter.
“On behalf of the board and the members of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, I want to acknowledge how much we value the extensive work done by the CAB under Glenn O’Farrell’s leadership throughout these past years of fundamental change in the media marketplace,” said CAB Chair Charlotte Bell in the press release.
“Glenn is an extremely capable advocate. He led the industry through a number of framework-defining CRTC policy and regulatory proceedings. He also assisted the industry in re-setting its overall strategy for copyright proceedings by focusing on constructive, evidence-based solutions. Glenn’s strategic leadership, buttressed by his knowledge of the broadcasting sector, consistently served the industry interests of CAB members – large and small.”
O’Farrell joined the CAB as president and CEO in January 2002 from the Global Television Network, where, as senior vice-president, specialty services, he had overall strategic responsibility for the company’s existing cable channels, and for new channels in development. Prior to joining Global, he was the vice-president of legal affairs for Le Réseau Pathonic, a regional television network consisting of TVA affiliate stations outside of Montreal.
“I have had the opportunity to work side-by-side with truly dynamic entrepreneurs, inspired visionaries and relentless industry builders,” added O’Farrell. “And over the years, despite the sometimes challenging circumstances, the CAB has developed a constructive and credentialed relationship with government, and in particular with the CRTC and the Copyright Board. By listening, we learn, and I am proud of the accomplishments we achieved together. I specifically want to thank the numerous CAB members who gave so much of their time and energy and provided me and my team with their continued dedication over the years.”
