Rogers appointed Guy Laurence as its third CEO in September 2013, and he took his fist day at the helm in December of that year. Today as part of their quarter earnings the largest telecommunications company has announced a major shift in leadership as Guy Laurence will no longer be CEO & President.
“We have appreciated Guy’s leadership over the last three years,” said Edward Rogers, Deputy Chairman, Rogers Communications Inc. “He has moved the company forward re-establishing growth, introducing innovative programs like Roam Like Home, while getting the company ready for its next phase of growth. On behalf of the Rogers family and the Board, I’d like to thank Guy for his competitive spirit and many contributions.”
The company has announced the hiring of Joseph Natale as President and Chief Executive Officer, “soon.” Joe was the Former-CEO of TELUS after stepping down from that post in the summer of 2015. The catch here of course is a non-compete agreement that Joe had signed with TELUS which prevents him from working for a competitor during a pre-determined time frame. During the interim, Alan Horn will act as President and Chief Executive Officer.
There had been several rumours within the industry that the Rogers family and Guy did not always agree on strategy for the company so this should not come as much of a surprise. Under Guy’s watch Roger had signed a massive 12-year, $5.2 million deal for CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada and other NHL broadcast rights associated to the NHL. Most recently Rogers announced it was going to shut down its shomi streaming video service which was an attempt to go head to head with Netflix.