Access Copyright Names Kate Edwards as New CEO

Thursday, December 21, 2023

The Board of Directors of Access Copyright is delighted to announce the appointment of Kate Edwards as the organization's new CEO, effective January 8, 2024.  

Kate brings over 16 years of experience strengthening Canada's creative industries through senior leadership roles at the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and other arts service organizations. Her depth of expertise in operations management, advocacy, stakeholder relations, and non-profit management will serve Access Copyright well as we enter our next chapter. 

Most recently, Kate served as Executive Director of ACP from 2015-2023. There, she spearheaded federal advocacy and policy recommendations to support independent book publishers. Her collaboration skills were also vital in uniting publishers nationally during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Prior to leading ACP, Kate gained invaluable experience at the organization in communications, professional development, research, and event management. This allowed her to build trusted relationships with writing and publishing stakeholders in Canada and across the world.  

Kate's commitment to championing creator rights and the business of arts and culture is clear through her extensive non-profit volunteer leadership. She has served on the boards of prominent arts organizations including Work in Culture, eBOUND Canada, and Canada FBM2020. 

The Board is confident Kate is the right person to guide Access Copyright through its next phase of serving Canada's writing, visual arts, and publishing sector. As we continue adapting to a changing industry landscape, her expertise navigating complex policy issues and uniting stakeholders around shared goals will be critical. 

Kate takes over leadership from Roanie Levy, who served at Access Copyright for 22 years, including as its CEO since 2013, before departing as part of a broader organizational restructuring. Roanie's passion and advocacy was integral in building Access Copyright into the strong collective it is today. We thank her deeply and wish her the very best. 

Please join us in warmly welcoming Kate Edwards to the Access Copyright community. We look forward to introducing Kate further and working together to advance our shared mission.