The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) has appoined Roxanna Benoit as president and CEO. She will assume her new role as of Jan. 1, 2004.

Wilma Jacobs, Consultant Blunn & Company, has been interim CIRI President and CEO over the past few months following the resignation of the founder of CIRI. She will work with Benoit to help her transition into the new role.

“I am delighted that the CIRI Board was unanimous in making this appointment. We believe that we have selected a person who will be the catalyst to take CIRI to the next level of growth and leadership within the Canadian Investor Relations community,” said John Rogers, chair of CIRI, and VP investor relations Suncor Energy, in a news release.

He added that Benoit “is a skilled communicator and strategic planner with an extensive business and political network.”

Roxanna is currently VP and deputy general counsel for the American Corporate Counsel Association, a professional organization for in-house counsel with over 15,000 members, located in Washington, DC. She is former executive director of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and has also worked extensively with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in a variety of roles including director of policy. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta.