TORONTO – CNW Group today announced the appointment of Carolyn McGill-Davidson as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2008.

Ms. McGill-Davidson takes the reins at CNW at a point where the company is poised to undergo the next significant phase in its planned evolution. “In a rapidly changing news media environment, we know that we have to stay ahead of the curve,” commented Ms. McGill-Davidson. “CNW is a strong company with a rich history of accomplishment and leadership, a dedicated and highly-skilled team of people, and a solid and loyal customer base. With this great foundation and innovations planned for the coming months, I’m confident we will continue to build lasting value for our clients and stakeholders.”

Ms. McGill-Davidson will continue to focus on expanding the company’s range of service offerings in a rapidly changing media landscape.  Recent launches to the marketplace have included a Social Media Release (SMR), an interactive page combining a traditional text news release with audio and video components, digital photos, graphics, corporate logos and links,  Access CNW, a fully-integrated, secure and comprehensive online portal that enables communications professionals to be in control of the distribution and editing process of their news releases from their desktop, in addition to the recently announced partnership with EDGAR Online, providing an automated process for converting public company financials into XBRL.

Since 1999, Ms. McGill-Davidson has served with the company in a succession of senior management positions.  In her most recent role as Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Ms. McGill-Davidson oversaw the company’s corporate repositioning and re-branding. 

Under the leadership of former president Tom Enright, Ms. McGill-Davidson has successfully built upon the company’s position as Canada’s leading newswire by expanding its range of offerings for public relations, communications and investor relations professionals.  The growth from these new lines of business has contributed significantly to CNW’s continued expansion and success.

CNW wishes to express its gratitude to the outgoing president and CEO, Mr. Enright.  In his tenure as president and CEO, Mr. Enright guided the company from a single-focused traditional newswire service to a diverse and multi-platform communications company. 

Mr. Enright will continue to offer guidance and support to the company in his new role as Deputy Chairman to the Board.