Rogers names Guy Laurence as new CEO
Posted September 12, 2013 9:21 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Rogers Communications has named Guy Laurence as its new president and CEO, effective Dec.2.
Laurence, 52, replaces Nadir Mohamed, who announced his plan to retire earlier this year.
The move comes as the Canadian wireless giant prepares for a critical auction of federal wireless licences.
“Rogers is an iconic and well respected company in a great country and I’m looking forward to joining,” said Laurence, who is currently the CEO of Vodafone UK.
“Its unique mix of wireless, cable and media assets offer a brilliant platform to provide innovative service to Canadians. I intend to build on the strong foundation established under Nadir’s leadership to compete and win in the market.”
Alan Horn, chairman of the board of Rogers Communications Inc., said in a statement Laurence was a “unanimous” choice.
“Guy is a strong, proven executive who has consistently delivered strong financial and operating results in highly complex and competitive markets. The breadth and depth of his experience in telecommunications, pay television and media are perfectly suited to Rogers and to the challenges and opportunities we see ahead.”
Horn said Mohamed would continue to lead the company and “focus on delivering results.” Mohamed will retire when Laurence becomes CEO.
In a statement, Mohamed praised Laurence and said the transition would be “seamless.”
“Laurence is a strong, seasoned executive who has delivered results in highly complex, competitive markets. He knows the industry well and brings a wealth of global experience in both telecom and media,” Mohamed said.
“We have a seasoned executive team that will work with both Guy and me to ensure a seamless transition.”
Although it doesn’t have a presence in Canada, Vodafone is a major wireless provider with operations and investments in several countries.
It recently agreed to sell its minority stake in Verizon Wireless in a $130-billion deal announced on Sept. 3.
As part of the deal, Vodafone will receive about $60 billion worth of shares in New York-based Verizon Communications, which had been considered a possible entrant into the Canadian wireless market.
Rogers is the parent company of City, CityNews and CityNews.ca.
With files from The Canadian Press
