Peter A. Herrndorf (October 27, 1940 – February 18, 2023) was a Canadian lawyer and media businessman. He retired as the president and chief executive officer of the
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building.
History
The NAC was one of a number of ...
on June 2, 2018.
Born in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and English from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Dalhousie University in 1965. In 1970, he received an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC) as a TV reporter/editor in Winnipeg beginning in 1965 a day after graduating from Dalhousie. Later that year, he moved to CBC Edmonton as a current affairs producer. In 1967, he transferred to Toronto as a producer of the network current affairs series ''The Way It Is''. From 1974 to 1977, Herrndorf served as CBC's Head of TV Current Affairs Programming.
In 1979, he became Special Assistant to the vice president and general manager of the CBC English network and served as vice president of English services from 1979 to 1983. He moved the nightly newscast ''The National'' from 11 o' clock to 10 and helped create a nightly public affairs program, ''The Journal''.
Herrndorf was publisher of ''
Toronto Life
''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eatin ...
'' from 1983 to 1992, and was chairman and CEO of
TVOntario
TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...
from 1992 to 1999.
In 1993, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
. He also received honorary
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...
degrees from
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
in 1989, from the
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and kinesiology and applied health as well as gra ...
in 1993, and from Dalhousie University in 2000. In 1998, he was awarded the
John Drainie Award The John Drainie Award was an award given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. Although meant to be presented annually there have been years where it was not presented.
Originally created by ACTRA in 1 ...
. In 2007, he was awarded the Order of Ontario for having "revolutionized Canadian broadcasting, publishing and the performing arts at organizations such as the CBC, Toronto Life Magazine, TV Ontario and the National Arts Centre".
Herrndorf was appointed to the board of directors of the CBC in February, 2005 for a five-year term. He was also on the board of governors of the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...
.
On June 30, 2017, it was announced that he was named a
Companion of the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
by
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
David Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...
for "his transformative leadership in Canada's artistic community and for his enduring commitment to building a thriving national arts scene."
Herrndorf was married to Eva Czigler and had two children, Katherine and Matthew. He died on February 18, 2023, at the age of 82.