Jay Switzer Joins Shaftesbury Board

TORONTO: Jay Switzer, the former president and CEO of CHUM, has been appointed to the board of directors at Shaftesbury.

Switzer joins current Shaftesbury board members Christina Jennings, Shaftesbury’s chairman and CEO; Scott Garvie, the senior VP of business and legal affairs at Shaftesbury; Millard Roth, the former CEO of The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association; Carey Diamond, the president and CEO of Whitecastle Investments; and Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin Wines and chairman of Mobilotto and Ziraldo Icewine. Switzer served as president and CEO of CHUM prior to its sale in 2007. He is co-founder and chair of Hollywood Suite, which recently announced a new four-channel HD movie package for Canada. He also serves on the boards of William F. White International and OUTtv. He is a former vice chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and a former governor of the Banff Television Foundation.

“Jay has been one of the Canadian broadcast industry’s most successful leaders for the past 25 years, and has been integral to the creation of some of this country’s most dynamic programming and media brands,” said Jennings. “His wealth of experience will be invaluable to Shaftesbury as we continue to expand and diversify our business and develop additional opportunities for growth.”

“It is a true privilege to join the board of a company I have admired for more than 20 years,” commented Switzer. “Christina and her team are the best in the business and I look forward to working with the board to help Shaftesbury develop and grow into the future.”