Adrian Burns, LL.D.

Adrian Burns was appointed Chair of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees on December 11, 2014, and has served on the NAC Board of Trustees since 2002. In addition to her recent appointment as Chair of the NAC, Ms. Burns has also served as Vice Chair and as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee.

Ms. Burns has dedicated her career to Canadian broadcasting and the arts, education, corporate and public governance, and community involvement.  A true community leader, Adrian has been recognized publicly for her dedication to many organizations and causes, including being named an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy (2012); the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012); the Government of Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005); the Government of Saskatchewan Distinguished Service Award (2005), and the Order of Ottawa (2016). She received a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from both the University of Regina (2012) and Carleton University (2016). Adrian Burns is a member of the CDS Council.

A businesswoman, Adrian Burns holds business real estate interests in Western Canada. She is a director of SHAW Communications, has been a member of the Copyright Board of Canada, and Chair of the Western Independent Producers Fund of CanWest Global Television. From 1988 to 1995, she was a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Prior to joining the CRTC, she was Business Editor for CFCN-TV in Calgary, and held the positions of anchor, writer, and producer between 1981 and 1988.