Bell Media president Sean Cohan has been appointed chairman-elect of the Banff World Media Festival’s board of directors.
Cohan, a former A&E Networks and Nielsen veteran, succeeds Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs, who served as Banff’s board chair for three years. Beggs will continue to serve on the festival’s board of directors, while Cohan will help oversee the storied media festival as the industry continues to be disrupted in the streaming era.
“I look forward to working with the team and continuing the work of the incomparable Kevin Beggs to expand Banff’s global impact and showcase the many opportunities Canadian businesses, organizations and creatives bring to the industry,” Cohan said in a statement Thursday.
The Bell Media chief is no stranger to turmoil in the industry, having joined the Canadian media giant in November 2023 as U.S. streaming giants gain a larger share of domestic TV viewing and advertising revenue increasingly shifts to overseas digital platforms such as Google and Facebook.
“We are thrilled to have Sean as our new chairman to lead Banff into its next chapter. As the media landscape continues to evolve, Sean’s forward-thinking vision and global perspective will be invaluable in shaping the future of festivals and driving innovation across the industry,” Banff executive director Jen Kuzmic added in a statement.
Cohan spent 15 years at A+E Networks, where he served as president of international and digital media, and later served as chief growth officer and president at measurement and data analytics giant Nielsen.
Lionsgate’s Beggs added in his own statement, “It has been an incredible honour to serve as chair of the Banff Foundation for the past three years. I have watched the festival grow into a venue for important conversations about the future of the industry and a gathering of the world’s most innovative creators and executives – an event unlike any other. Now with the incredibly talented Sean Cohan at the helm, I have no doubt the festival will be in great hands.”
The Banff World Media Festival, which runs from June 8-11 next year, has also announced the 25 women with their own production companies who will take part in the 2025 Banff Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media: Producer’s Edition as part of its partnership with Paramount+.
“We are thrilled to be working with these incredibly talented women. This group is an incredible roster of Canadian and international award-winning producers and entrepreneurs with advanced production experience,” said Kuzmic.
A full list of participants in the 2025 Spark Accelerator program and their profiles can be found on the Banff World Media Festival website.