Esport Canada has announced the election of five new members to its Board of Directors for three-year terms following its Annual General Meeting on 12 August 2026. The appointments bring the non-profit organisation into alignment with Canadian Sport Governance Code benchmarks regarding gender diversity and non-endemic representation across sporting bodies.
The newly elected board comprises executives spanning telecommunications, live entertainment, game development, traditional sports administration, and collegiate gaming.
From the games industry, Electronic Arts (EA) Development Director Ivona Novak joins the board with a focus on development governance, cross-functional operations, and accessibility initiatives. Representation from traditional sports administration comes via Tamara Edwards, Director of Events and Programs at Pickleball Canada, who holds operational experience across the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the ATP Tour.
Ash Molaei, Strategic Partnerships and Marketing Lead at TELUS, joins the board following three years scaling the telecommunications operator’s esports initiatives. He is joined by Gabriel Pinkstone, General Manager at creative studio Moment Factory and former executive at Cirque du Soleil, who brings an executive background across live events, financial stewardship, and stakeholder management.
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Finally, Rosaline Fu Wei Leung, President of the BC Esports Association and Director of the Canadian Esports & Gaming Industry Summit, steps into the role of Post-Secondary Council Chair to oversee collegiate data collection and national recognition.
Emil Vanjaka, Chair of Esport Canada, highlighted the board refresh: “We had an absolutely incredible pool of candidates. These five new directors bring an exceptional mix of experience and perspectives, and I have no doubt that we’ll be able to achieve tremendous things as we enter this next chapter for Esport Canada together.”
The governance updates follow the recent appointment of Jordan “Ayrin“ He as Director of Strategic Growth and Operations. He was brought in to drive commercial growth while balancing grassroots developmental programmes with high-performance national team pipelines.
Under this operational framework, Esport Canada acts as the official managing body for Canada’s representation at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), supported commercially and logistically by Toronto-based esports company OverActive Media and its franchise team Toronto Ultra.
