Radio-Canada EVP Sylvain Lafrance joined an exclusive club on Friday, when the French ambassador to Canada welcomed him into the Legion of Honor. Lafrance, a 30-year veteran of SRC and noted advocate of French-language culture on the world stage, was made a knight, the lowest of the order’s five ranks, at a ceremony in Ottawa.

Since 2002, Lafrance has also chaired the board of directors at arts and entertainment cable channel ARTV, of which SRC is the main shareholder. In 2005, SRC and CBC put him in charge of integrating the French network’s radio, TV and Internet services, creating one of the world’s largest French-language pubcasters.

During a previous post as VP of Radio, Lafrance launched Espace Musique, the only cross-country French-language radio network dedicated to musical diversity and new talent.