Barbara Williams is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Corus Entertainment Inc., where she oversees all strategic and operational aspects of Corus’ content across conventional and specialty television, Nelvana, digital, and radio properties.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Williams served as Shaw Media’s President, overseeing all aspects of the company’s business. Prior to this, Ms. Williams was Senior Vice President of Content for Shaw Media, responsible for the creation of Canadian original productions, acquisition deals of top U.S. and international series, and scheduling for the company’s conventional network and 19 specialty channels. Before joining Shaw, Ms. Williams served as Executive Vice President, Content at Canwest Broadcasting, Vice President and General Manager of Toronto 1, and Senior Vice President of Lifestyle Programming at Alliance Atlantis.

Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Telecommunications from Syracuse University. She has served as the previous Chair of the Banff World Television Festival over the past 4 years and currently sits on the board of the Canadian Film Centre and Canada’s Walk of Fame. In December 2008 Ms. Williams was acknowledged for her Outstanding Achievement at the 20th Anniversary WIFT Crystal Awards and in February 2014, Ms. Williams won the Chair of Distinction award at the Women in Communications and Technology Gala.

Speaking on: Media Leaders Series: Canadian Media Leaders