Michèle Maheux

Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Toronto International Film Festival

Michèle Maheux is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for TIFF and has been with the organization for more than two decades. She has been a driving force within TIFF and is responsible through the Vice-Presidents for all business and operations of the $33 million cultural organization. Maheux’s leading priorities are the organization's operational needs and plans, including key operational activities in TIFF Bell Lightbox, the new year-round home for the organization.
With nearly 30 years of work experience in the cultural arena for private and governmental organizations, Maheux has accrued a wealth of knowledge and experiences in the film and television sectors. She worked in the distribution and exhibition fields of the film industry and established her own consulting company - MMM Marketing - which specialized in corporate communications and marketing. As Assistant to the Director of the library at the Canadian Film Institute (CFI) in Ottawa, she worked with Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, marking the beginning of their 30-year collaboration, which continues today.
Maheux has been a member of many provincial, municipal, and arts organizations’ committees for tourism and public relations professionals during her twenty-year tenure. In December 2008, Maheux was appointed to the Ryerson University Board of Governors and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee.