Caledon resident new president of CNE Association

November 23, 2016 · 0 Comments

The Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA) has elected Caledon resident John Kiru as its 59th President.
The election took place at the CNEA’s Annual General Meeting last month.
“We are very excited to welcome John as the new President of our volunteer Board of Directors,” CNEA Chief Executive Officer Virginia Ludy stated. “His breadth of experience working with municipal governments and his time serving on the Board of Governors at Exhibition Place will be a great asset to the Association as we work to strengthen our relationship with Exhibition Place and the City of Toronto.”
Kiru replaces Brian Ashton who has served in this volunteer position since 2011.
Kiru will oversee a Board of Directors of 25 people, and a membership of more than 100 organizations and individuals. He also fulfills a ceremonial role for the Association throughout the run of the annual CNE.
In addition to his new role as President of the CNEA, Kiru is the Executive Director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) representing Toronto’s 82 BIAs with a total membership of 45,000 small business and property owners. He is also past president of the Ontario Association of BIAs, a former member of the Exhibition Place Board of Governors and sits on a number of the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario committees and task forces. He received his Urban and Regional Planning degree from the Ryerson School of Planning in 1982 and has continued studies in urban renewal, economic development, real estate and event and festival management.
“I am honoured to build on the achievements of our past President Brian Ashton and the Board of Directors as we work to take the CNEA in exciting new directions,” Kiru stated. “I look forward to reaching out to all levels of government and a diverse public in various communities to achieve the objectives of the CNEA’s Strategic Plan.”
The CNEA is the not-for-profit independent organization charged with organizing and presenting the CNE, Canada’s largest fair and the fifth largest in North America. The Association is made up of as many as 159 individuals and member associations, who represent the four Sections of the organization: Agriculture, General and Liberal Arts, Manufacturers and Industry and Municipal. Each member association appoints a representative to the CNEA and 15 individuals are appointed directly by the Association itself from the community-at-large. The CNEA has member organizations from a wide variety of sectors ranging in scope from the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies to the Canadian Bar Association to the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. 45-cne - 2.75