Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre has named a new chief executive officer, hoping she will help it rebuild from pandemic-related financial problems and recent departures among its leadership. The non-profit arts organization announced Wednesday that it has appointed Cathy Loblaw as CEO. Ms.
Loblaw was previously CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada and vice-chair of McDonald’s Women’s Leadership Network. Harbourfront said in a statement announcing the appointment that Ms. Loblaw was a “natural fit” to lead the organization.
Ms. Loblaw declined an interview request. Situated on the edge of Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto, Harbourfront Centre has been home to events such as the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival, and includes an outdoor concert stage and the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.
Prior to the pandemic, Harbourfront Centre played host to nearly 4,000 events and ran close to 500 programs each year, alongside camps and school visits for 30,000 youth. However, like many arts organizations across Canada, Harbourfront has struggled with attendance and revenue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago and, more recently, has suffered from instability in leadership. In December of last year it parted ways with Marah Braye, its chief executive of nearly a decade.
Then, three months ago, its chief programming officer, Iris Nemani, left to run Stanford Live, a performing arts organization at Cali.
