Team

Former Senior Vice President of Content for Shaw Media, Christine Shipton is a seasoned television executive with experience in both production and broadcast organizations. Throughout her career, Christine has been responsible for developing, overseeing and managing some great Canadian programming, including Rookie Blue, Continuum, Bomb Girls, Ice Pilots NWT, Big Brother Canada and Chopped Canada. In addition to her work with the Rocket Fund, Shipton serves on the boards of directors for the National Screen Institute, Hot Docs, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Christine Shipton

Chair

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A Gemini and Leo award winning Producer and Production Manager, Gigi’s background includes Producing and Production Managing roles on top US and Canadian series such as “Five Days at Memorial”, A Million Little Things”, “Strange Empire,” “Cold Squad” and “Godiva’s”.  In addition to producing drama series, Gigi was the Vice President of Industrial Relations and Special Projects for the CMPA-BC Branch for seven years and spent another seven years as the Director of the Television Unit for the Western office of Telefilm Canada. A graduate of the CFC Producer Program and a member of the Directors Guild of Canada, Gigi’s particular interests lie in industry labour negotiations and helping to create new strategies around content discoverability for Canadian television series.

Gigi Boyd

Vice-Chair

Agnes Augustin is President and CEO of the Rocket Fund, Canada’s only independent fund dedicated to financing and advancing Canadian children’s and youth content. A respected industry leader and advocate, she works with creators, broadcasters, and policymakers to ensure children and youth of Canada see themselves reflected across platforms and experiences. Agnes is actively involved in cultural policy and CRTC proceedings, championing sustainable funding, discoverability, and innovation for children’s media. She spearheads research and initiatives that shape the future of kids’ content. Agnes has a rich background in media funding, governance, and strategic leadership, and is widely recognized for her commitment to Canada’s children’s media sector.

Agnes Augustin

President & CEO, Secretary/Treasurer

Chethan Lakshman is Principal at Rishi Nolan Strategies, a boutique consultancy specializing in providing strategic advice to C-suite executives, boards of directors, not-for-profit organizations, and governments.

Initially a business journalist with CBC, The Globe and Mail, and The Financial Post, Chethan is a senior communications and reputation management specialist who has worked for more than 30 years with leaders in highly regulated industries, VC-backed companies, and private firms, advising C-suite executives, and leading financial, change management, and M&A communications in several large organizations, including RBC, Manulife Financial, and Shaw Communications.

Chethan has served and continues to serve on several boards and advisory committees in the media, arts, and not for profit sectors. In addition to serving as a member of the board of directors of Rocket Fund, Chethan serves on a variety of not-for-profit boards and civic committees, including The King’s Trust Canada, the Canadian Journalism Foundation, Vancouver-based Arts Umbrella, Toronto-based The Company Theatre (Board Chair), and Tourism Calgary Sports and Major Events Committee. Chethan recently stepped down from the board of The Walrus Foundation after 11 years and is also former Chair of Calgary-based Hull Services and the Toronto Business Development Centre.

Chethan Lakshman

Director

In her 13 years as CEO of Invest in Kids, Nancy led the transformation of this small, Toronto-focused granting foundation into a national charitable organization providing parenting support to new parents across Canada. Prior to this, Nancy spent 20 years in the branding, marketing and communications fields in both consulting and business leadership roles, including as Managing Director of the Toronto office of Young & Rubicam Advertising. Since 1997, Nancy has been part of Humanity, Inc., a business and branding strategy consulting firm based in the U.S. Nancy’s interests and reputation for insightful strategic solutions are reflected in the many volunteer leadership positions she has held in the children and youth, women’s issues, and education arenas.

Nancy Birnbaum

Director

Gave is an experienced executive, lawyer, and board director within the media and cultural sectors where he has developed, commissioned, and structured projects across film, TV, streaming, social, gaming, and live events.

As Chief Content Officer for Troveo AI, he is responsible for global content partnerships, content curation and licensing. Previously, he served as the Head of Content Programming for North America at TikTok, where he led the team responsible for original live production, in-app editorial, trends, and off-platform content collaborations such as TikTok Radio and TikTok Tailgate.

Previously, he led CBC’s digital content offerings including CBC.ca, CBC Kids, and launched the streaming service CBC Gem, as Executive Director of OTT Programming. In this role, he created CBC’s first YA content strategy and was responsible for commissioning a slate of series from some of Canada’s most talented new voices.

Gave also served as Executive Director of the Reelworld Film Festival, worked as a business affairs executive, and began his career as a media and entertainment lawyer at a Bay Street law firm. Gave currently serves on the boards of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, TO Live, and the Rocket Fund. He is a frequent speaker on the intersection of media, content, and innovation and has been featured in The Today Show, Variety, Toronto Life, and SHARP Magazine. He holds BA, MBA, and JD degrees from the University of Toronto and is called to the Bar of Ontario.

Gave Lindo

Director