Category Archives: Hires, Moves, and Fires

Jeff Vella Appointed Director of Broadcast Engineering

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The CBC has appointed Jeff Vella as director, broadcast engineering, English services. The appointment is effective immediately.

Vella is a graduate of the University of Toronto with his bachelor’s degree in applied science and engineering. He joined broadcast engineering as a student in 1992 and has progressively assumed more senior roles within the department. He led project teams on the design and build of the Toronto network operations centre and the Corporation’s two high definition mobiles.

In his new position, Jeff will take a leadership role in the infrastructure aspects of the Corp’s “ongoing transition of CBC into a content company,” said a CBC statement.

The English services broadcast engineering group provides professional engineering and installation and commissioning services for significant production and distribution infrastructure. It operates on a project basis.

CMG seeking admin staff

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The Canadian Media Guild is seeking a bilingual person with clerical/administrative experience, can-do attitude and energetic personality. Strong verbal and written communication skills and computer knowledge are a must.

Responsibilities will include: reception, clerical assistance, meeting coordination, posting material to CMG website. While this is a part-time position (expect half days, 5 days/week) there is opportunity for full-time work during holidays and other times during the year.

The ideal candidate is: fluently bilingual (English and French)
detail-oriented and organized
comfortable in a Microsoft Office environment
has an interest in online communication
Some general knowledge of labour unions and/or the media business in Canada would be an asset.
This position is unionized. The compensation package includes benefits and a bilingual premium.

Please send your résumé to the hiring committee at info@cmg.ca by Wednesday March 3, 2010. Interviews will be scheduled shortly thereafter

Laura Da Re appointed as CBC Radio’s director of financial projects

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CBC Radio general manager Denise Donlon today announced the appointment of Laura Da Re, as director, financial projects, CBC Radio.

In this new position, Da Re will focus on financial projects and strategies including revenue opportunities for Radio. She will be part of the radio strategic team and will also work with network finance on various projects.

“CBC Radio is always looking for ways to increase revenue and manage our resources in order to extend the value of our world class content, particularly in an increasingly multi platform universe,” said Donlon. “Laura’s skills and experience as a financial analyst and project manager will be of great value to us as we strive to bring Canadians public radio of the highest quality without compromise. We’re delighted to welcome her back to the CBC family.”

A chartered accountant, Laura Da Re has held several positions with CBC over the past decade—first as director, financial operations, then as director, special projects and most recently assisting with the program inventory project for CBC Television. Prior to this, she held a series of senior accounting, management and controller positions for Clarke, Henning & Co., Ernst & Young, Cayman Airways and Cayman Islands Tourism. She was also financial controller for the e-commerce startup Bizmatica S.p.A. in Milan.

Da Re begins in her new role effective March 1, 2010.

Pia Marquard to Lead CBC in Québec

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Pia MarquardPia Marquard, who the CBC hired to bring more reality television to the network, has been appointed managing director for CBC Québec.

Marquard has worked for public broadcasters all over the world, most notably in Sweden where, as entertainment head of the country’s national broadcaster, she green-lit Expedition Robinson, a show touted as precursor to the very successful “Survivor” phenomenon.

While the show was a huge hit in Sweden, some national media accused Marquard sharply criticized Marquard, who also received bomb threats at her house. The day after the finalé aired, Marquard quit and joined the CBC to run its the Whitehorse station.

In 2004, Marquard was formally tapped to “inject new reality-style techniques into all sorts of programming,” the Globe and Mail reported then. The first show she oversaw was a two-part series called Raging Hormones.

Rob Renaud acted as managing director while the CBC completed its recruitment process. Marquard’s home is now Montréal, having put roots there after her years of globetrotting. She speaks French fluently and starts her new job February 22.