May 13, 2021

Winnipeg, Man. — APTN welcomes Julie Grenier as the newly appointed chairperson of its board of directors, succeeding Jocelyn Formsma, who will continue to serve as a board member.

Grenier is from Kuujjuaq, a small community in Nunavik, northern Quebec. She is the director general of Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. (TNI), a regional television and radio producer in Nunavik and a founding member society of APTN. Over the course of her six years on APTN’s board of directors, she served as vice-chair and secretary, and appeared in front of the CRTC under the TNI banner to support APTN’s broadcast licence renewal. She is an accomplished artist with pieces on display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris and at the newly inaugurated Qaumajuq centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Grenier is actively involved in her community where she sits on the board of Esuma, an organization that encourages youth to stay in school.

Grenier will lead APTN for a two-year term, working with the executive committee’s vice-chair Jeff Ward, treasurer Jesse Nahmabin and secretary Nathan Sack to fulfill the vision set in APTN’s strategic plan. Moving forward, the network will continue to cultivate new audiences and strive to become a leading resource for revitalizing Indigenous languages.

“APTN has experienced a great deal of growth, evolution and advancement in recent years.” Grenier said. “We’re on a good trajectory. Jocelyn forged an excellent relationship with the CEO, and there is a close dynamic amongst the board members that draws on our collective knowledge. I have large shoes to fill and can only aspire to follow and explore the path set by her leadership.”

Over the course of her 11 years on the APTN board of directors, Formsma has overseen two CRTC licence renewals, an in-depth review of the boards governing structure, and the launch of ELMNT FM radio stations and Dadan Sivunivut, APTN’s for-profit holding company. In addition to hiring Dadan Sivunivut’s CEO Jean La Rose, Formsma also led a national executive search in 2019 to identify APTN’s new CEO, Monika Ille.

APTN wishes to express its sincerest gratitude to Formsma for her steady leadership and valuable contributions during her five-year tenure as chairperson.

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About APTN

APTN launched in 1999 as the world’s first national Indigenous broadcaster, creating a window into the remarkably diverse mosaic of Indigenous Peoples. A respected non-profit and charitable broadcaster, it’s the only one of its kind in North America. The network is Sharing Our Stories of authenticity in English, French and a variety of Indigenous languages to over 10 million Canadian subscribers. With over 80% Canadian content, APTN connects with its audiences through genuine, inspiring and engaging entertainment on multiple platforms.

Source:

Emili Bellefleur
Manager of Communications, APTN
(438) 349-2456
[email protected]