Executive Leadership team
Francesca Accinelli
Interim Executive Director & CEO
Francesca joined Telefilm in 2006 as the Deputy Director, English Market for the Canadian Television Fund (now Canada Media Fund), by 2008 she was promoted to Director of that team and is now very excited to be the Director of National Promotions and Communications. Francesca has always been a fan of Canadian film and television and she has a great ability to build strong relationships with clients. She looks forward to working with the industry to promote our Canadian successes.
Francesca began her career as a cultural administrator and producer of theatre where she was required to manage both production and promotion of the plays. She then moved on to television production working on big budget TV series and MOWs produced for Alliance Atlantis, among other companies.
She has a B.A in Fine Arts from York University where she focused on film studies.
Patrick Bédard, CPA, CA, MBA
Vice President, Finance
Patrick joined Telefilm Canada in 2004 as Chief Accountant and was promoted to Controller in 2010. Prior to that, he started his career as an auditor, working primarily in the manufacturing and municipal sectors. He later joined the Office of the Auditor General of Canada where, among other achievements, he developed his expertise in the Canadian audiovisual industry.
In his current role, Patrick is responsible for finance, financial operations and financial policy compliance. He is also responsible for the administrative financial information related to the agreement with the Canada Media Fund.
He is a chartered accountant by training and has a master’s degree in business administration.
René Bourdages
Vice President, Cultural Portfolio Management
René Bourdages joined Telefilm in 2019 as Senior Director, Cultural Portfolio Management. In this position, he oversees Telefilm Canada’s production, distribution and marketing financing programs for feature films, as well as Telefilm’s administration of the Canada Media Fund’s funding programs. Previously, he was at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), where he was Director General, Creation and Innovation since 2016.
During his 30-year career, René has occupied highly strategic roles in major private and public media groups, including TVA/Quebecor, where he was Executive Vice-President, Broadcasting and Operations, Astral Media, where he held the position of Executive Vice-President of Programming, Sales and Marketing, and CBC/ Radio-Canada, where he was President of the Merchandising Division. In 2012, he founded ELEVADO Media, a consulting firm advising fund managers and production companies regarding their investments in development, funding and strategic planning in the U.S. and Canada.
Familiar with the world of production, programming and innovation, he has been a speaker and moderator for a number of years, at events such as the World Animation & VFX Summit, Digital Hollywood, the New York Media Summit and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Marie-Claude Lavigne
Vice President, Public and Governmental Affairs
Ms. Lavigne comes to Telefilm with 20 years’ experience in strategy, public affairs, and government relations. Having worked with both the federal and provincial levels, she has gained in-depth knowledge of the structures and players within government. Over the course of her career, she was notably vice president of several public relations agencies, including Citoyen Optimum and Cohn & Wolfe, and has worked in various sectors, such as finance, economic development, as well as the cultural milieu.
Marie-Eve Mainville, M. Sc., CRHA/CHRP
Vice President, Talent and Culture
Ms. Mainville is a bilingual human resource management professional with close to two decades of experience in taking an organization’s vision and translating it into initiatives that drive performance, growth, and employee engagement. Known for her ability to tackle complex challenges and convert vision and strategy into achievable and value-added objectives, Ms. Mainville has worked in a number of sectors in Canada including audiovisual, entertainment, and IT.
Ms. Mainville holds a master’s degree in Management and Organization Science from Laval University, as well as a graduate diploma from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) in Management Consulting.
Jean Morin
Vice President, Information Technology
Jean Morin has extensive experience in information technology (IT) management. Until recently, he held the position of Canadian Commercial IT Lead at Bausch Health, a major pharmaceutical company. He has also worked in the financial field as Manager, IS & IT for the portfolio management firm Jarislowsky Fraser.
As a corporate transformation specialist, he has worked on local, national and international assignments and headed a variety of implementation projects over the course of his career.
Stéphane Odesse, LL.B., D.Fisc.
Vice President, Legal Services and Access to Information
Stéphane has been providing legal services to Telefilm since 1994. He was appointed Director of Legal Services in 2002.
Before joining our institution, Stéphane practiced law for many years in the areas of commercial law, corporate law and copyright law. Among other qualifications, he holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Specialized Graduate Diploma in Taxation.
Stéphane is a member of the Barreau du Québec and the Canadian Bar Association. He also participates in several other legal bodies, including the Association des secrétaires et chefs de contentieux du Québec, the Association des juristes pour l’avancement de la vie artistique and the Association littéraire et artistique internationale (ALAI).
Cathy Wong
Vice President, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Official Languages
A law graduate, Wong has dedicated the past 10 years of her professional life to furthering inclusion and representation of diversity in the community, media, cultural and institutional realms. Elected as a city councilor in downtown Montréal in 2017, she became the first person of Chinese descent to serve at City Hall and the first female president of City Council. As a member of the City of Montreal’s Executive Committee, she oversaw diversity, employment inclusion, the French language, and the fight against racism and discrimination.
In 2012, Wong was introduced to video production when she participated as a reporter in the television series La Course Évasion autour du monde. She then co-directed the documentary series Jeunes ailleurs, vieilles ici, about the journey of four immigrant senior women. Over the years, she has worked in different media, serving as a columnist for Radio-Canada and Le Devoir, and as a host for CIBL radio.
She has also chaired the Conseil des Montréalaises and the Forum jeunesse de l’Île de Montréal. As a member of boards of directors and advisory committees in the field of arts and culture (Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Culture Montréal, Société du 375e anniversaire de Montréal, MaTV), her commitments have always been geared toward the search for inclusion and the reflection of diversity.