Kate Edwards is the new CEO of Access Copyright, effective January 8.

The board of the nonprofit organization announced Edwards’s appointment in late December.

Edwards was previously at the Association of Canadian Publishers for 16 years, most recently as executive director of the organization from 2015 to 2023, and has taken on many senior leadership roles.

“Kate’s commitment to championing creator rights and the business of arts and culture is clear through her extensive nonprofit volunteer leadership,” the board said in a statement. “She has served on the boards of prominent arts organizations including Work in Culture, eBOUND Canada, and Canada FBM2020.”

Edwards takes over leadership at the organization after longtime president and CEO Roanie Levy left the organization at the end of last year as part of a “restructuring process.” Levy’s departure was announced in October, about three months after the organization announced that they were looking to downsize and restructure due to ongoing revenue losses caused by changes made to the fair dealing provisions in the Copyright Act in 2012.

“Roanie’s passion and advocacy was integral in building Access Copyright into the strong collective it is today. We thank her deeply and wish her the very best,” the board said.