Karine Courtemanche, CEO of PHD Canada and Touché!, appointed as an independent Director; long-standing Director David Colville to retire
HALIFAX, NS, May 19, 2021 /CNW/ - WildBrain Ltd. ("WildBrain" or the "Company") (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids' and family entertainment, announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Karine Courtemanche, CEO of PHD Canada and Touché!, as an independent Director of the Company, effective May 19, 2021. Courtemanche fills a seat on the Board vacated by long-standing Director, David Colville, who in December 2020, announced his intention to retire once a suitable replacement could be found to ensure an orderly transition.
"We're pleased to welcome Karine to the WildBrain Board," said Don Wright, Chair of the Board. "As a leader of two of Canada's most prominent media agencies, Karine has an outstanding track record of successes in innovation and strategic planning in the advertising and digital media space. We look forward to benefiting from her expertise, which we believe will strengthen the Board and Company as we accelerate our expansion into new areas of business."
Wright added: "The Board would also like to express its deepest gratitude to David Colville for the valuable leadership and oversight he has provided as a Director since joining the Board in 2014. David's steadfast advocacy on behalf of shareholders has epitomized good governance. We wish him all the best in the future."
Karine Courtemanche, CEO PHD Canada and Touché!
In January 2020, Karine Courtemanche was appointed CEO of the award-winning media agencies PHD Canada and Touché!, both owned by the Omnicom Media Group (OMG). At Touché!, Courtemanche previously held the positions of President, from 2009-2019, and Vice President of Strategy, from 2003-2010. During her tenure, Touché! has been named Agency of the Year four times by Strategy Magazine, and Courtemanche herself was named Media Agency Leader of the Year three times. In 2020, Touché! ranked as the fifth-most awarded media agency in the world in the WARC 100, an industry benchmark recognizing excellence in creativity, media and effectiveness.
In addition to leading these prominent agencies, Courtemanche sits on the Boards of the Canadian Out of Home Marketing and Measurement Bureau (COMMB), where she was Chair in 2017, and Canadian Ad Standards. She has previously sat on the Board of Fillactive/FitSpirit, a Quebec-based non-profit dedicated to helping girls discover the benefits of being physically active. In addition, Cortemanche has served on the jury of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (2019), the premiere global event for the advertising and creative communications industry, and as Chair of the Jury for the Media Innovation Awards (2014 and 2019). Cortemanche also lectures on Creative Leadership for Marketing Communications students at HEC Montréal.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations: Nancy Chan-Palmateer - Director, Investor Relations, WildBrain
nancy.chanpalmateer@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7358
Media: Shaun Smith - Director, Corporate & Trade Communications, WildBrain
shaun.smith@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7230
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world's most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip & Potato, Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business – WildBrain Spark – offers one of the largest networks of kids' channels on YouTube, garnering billions of views per month from over 150 million subscribers. We also license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in Canada. WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Please visit us at wildbrain.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws with respect to the Company including, without limitation, statements regarding the business strategies and operational activities of WildBrain. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risk factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
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SOURCE WildBrain Ltd.
