Lisa de Wilde

CEO TVO

  • Toronto ON

CEO of Ontario's public educational media organization believes in the power of media to engage, to inform and to serve the public good

Contact

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Biography

Lisa de Wilde believes in the power of media to engage, to inform, and to serve the public good. Since her appointment in 2005 as TVO's CEO, Lisa has ushered in a new era for Ontario's public educational media organization, leading its transformation to a fully-digital, interactive source of multi-platform educational content that empowers people to be engaged citizens of Ontario.

Lisa's dedication to a strong Canadian media sector began upon her graduation from McGill University's law school, when she joined the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission as legal counsel. While with the CRTC, she also served as Director General-Cable Television, Specialty and Pay Television Service. Lisa practiced law in Montreal (where she was a partner at Heenan Blaikie). As Astral Television's President and CEO, she was instrumental in transforming the then-declining pay TV category into highly successful branded television networks, and in supporting the Canadian film-making community.

The world of film is a passion for Lisa, which she has combined with her commitment to contributing to the growth of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as Vice-Chair of the TIFF Board of Directors. Fluently bilingual, Lisa champions the cause of educational broadcasters across the country as the Chair of the Canadian Association of Public Educational Media.

Her other not-for-profit, advisory and private sector boards include the Canadian Digital Media Network Advisory Board; International Advisory Board; the University of Toronto's Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation Advisory Board; ORION (Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network); the Government of Ontario's Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress; EnerCare Inc.; the Noranda Income Fund (she was a Trustee from 2002-2010 and Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2004-2010).

In 2009 Lisa de Wilde was among the country's highest achieving women leaders to be recognized with the Women's Executive Network (WXN) Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award

Industry Expertise

Media - Online
Media Production
Women
Media - Broadcast
Education/Learning
Corporate Leadership
Telecommunications

Areas of Expertise

Telecommunications in Canada
Public Broadcasting
Education and the Media
Mulit-Platform Educational Content
Public Television and the Media Landscape
Media Collaboration for the Public Good

Accomplishments

Vice-Chair - Toronto International Film Festival

2012-01-01

The Toronto International Film Festival is the leading public film festival in the world, screening more than 300 films from 60+ countries every September. Our programmers have earned a reputation for excellence, and a diverse array of films are shown: Hollywood galas, complete with red carpet glamour; the best in international cinema, the latest homegrown comedies… and everything in between. TIFF has become one of the most important and respected film institutions in the world.

Recipient – Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100

2009-12-01

In 2009, Lisa de Wilde was among the country's highest achieving women leaders to be recognized with the Women's Executive Network (WXN) Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award. Lisa received the award in the Public Sector Leaders category, which recognizes women who hold senior positions in Canada’s public sector organizations.

Advisory Board Member – Canadian Digital Media Network

2009-01-01

To ensure Canada’s place at the forefront of the digital economy, the CDMN was founded in 2009 as a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research to create companies, jobs and wealth for the nation. The CDMN applies a collaborative spirit to connect innovative entrepreneurs to each other, and to markets around the world.

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Education

McGill University

B.A. (Honors)

Political Science and History

1977

McGill University

LL.B.

Common Law

1980

Affiliations

  • Academy of Film and Television

Event Appearances

KEYNOTE: How Digital Media is Helping to Educate, Inspire and Build a Stronger Ontario

Rotary Club of Toronto  Toronto

2012-09-25

PANEL DISSCUSSION: "In 2012, the Content, Not the Medium, is the Message”

Canada 3.0  Stratford, Ontario

2012-04-25

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Paying the Bills

Journalism Strategies Conference  Montreal, Quebec

2012-04-20

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Sample Talks

Paying the Bills: The Role of Educational Media in Canada

In this discussion, Lisa de Wilde outlines the public policy challenges and opportunites facing the media industry. She also discusses how digital technology has reshaped the media landscape and what this means for a public educational media organization like TVO.

Transforming TVO for a Digital World

In this talk, Lisa de Wilde gives you a back stage pass to digital innovation at TVO. Leading TVO through the transformation from a single TV station to a multiplatform media organization for the 21st Century she shares what she learned along the way, the strategy that underpins the success, the concepts that guide the organization and strategies to effectively deal with the inevitable curves in the road.

“In 2012, the Content, Not the Medium, is the Message”

In this talk Lisa de Wilde explains how digital technology is driving change in how people are consuming media and how content is being developed. She outlines how TVO underwent a digital transformation which has positioned the organization for increased impact and relevance in an increasingly crowded media landscape.

Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist