Ian Kelso named CEO of Canadian Interactive Alliance
You may have seen some impressive stories come out of Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry as of late on Techvibes as the achievements of industry leaders behind it all have certainly not gone unnoticed.
The creative force behind Interactive Ontario's X-Summit, GameON: Finance, INPlay, and the Interactive Exchange since co-founding the association in 2001 has been Ian Kelso who in late December was named CEO of the Canadian Interactive Alliance. Kelso was the long time President & CEO of industry association Interactive Ontario and steps up from his role as a volunteer president and chair of the CIAIC's Board of Directors.
The CIAIC serves as the voice of the Canadian interactive digital media industry which is comprised of more than 3,000 companies that generate $4 billion in annual revenue. Other provincial organizations that are part of the CIAIC include Alliance Numerique (Quebec), New Media Manitoba, SaskInteractive, DigiBC, Digital Alberta and IMA (PEI).
Kelso says: "There is a need and an opportunity to have a much more substantial voice at the national level. For five years the CIAIC has been an ongoing collaboration amongst the provincial interactive associations, but it's time to pull together to serve the interests of all companies from coast to coast."
The CIAIC will be next organizing Canada's presence at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 5-9 in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
For any other additional information regarding the CIAIC and the respective provincial organizations you can contact Emily Claire Afan, who has joined Kelso as the CIAIC's new Director of Development & Communications. She formerly wrote for Playback magazine, Cartt.ca and VillageGamer.net while being involved with the Hand Eye Society, a TIFF Nexus event, and the International Game Developers Association in Toronto.
