Thomas O'Neill to retire as Chair
after more than 13 years of distinguished service to BCE
shareholders
MONTRÉAL, March 9, 2016 /CNW
Telbec/ - BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE) today announced the
nomination of two highly acclaimed Canadian business figures –
Monique F. Leroux, Chair, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, and Calin
Rovinescu, President and CEO of Air Canada – for election to its
Board of Directors at BCE's Annual General Shareholder Meeting in
Montréal on April 28, 2016.
"We are delighted that these respected corporate leaders have
agreed to serve BCE shareholders as members of our Board. In
addition to their deep financial and governance experience,
Monique Leroux and Calin Rovinescu
are renowned in Québec, across Canada and indeed worldwide for
their dedication to customer service and technology innovation.
They will enhance a seasoned and highly effective Board that has
guided the Bell companies back to the lead position in Canadian
communications," said Thomas C.
O'Neill, the current BCE Chair who will retire at the close
of the Annual General Shareholder Meeting.
As previously announced, the Board intends to appoint current
Director Gordon Nixon, former
President and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada, as Chair of the Board at
the close of the Annual General Shareholder Meeting.
"Having had the privilege of working closely with Gord Nixon
since he joined us as a Director in 2014, I have seen how our Board
and shareholders have benefitted greatly from his financial
insight, governance expertise and commitment to success. We are
pleased that such a renowned and accomplished Canadian business
leader will take our company forward as Chair," said Mr.
O'Neill.
Monique F.
Leroux
Monique Leroux
is Chair, President and CEO of Lévis, QC-based Desjardins Group,
the leading cooperative financial group in Canada, a position she will occupy until
April 9, 2016. A Director of
Alimentation Couche-Tard, Crédit Industriel et Commercial and
Michelin Group, Ms. Leroux is a member of the Canadian Council of
Chief Executives, the Founders' Council of the Québec Global 100
Network, the Board of Governors of Finance Montréal, the Canadian
Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service and the
Catalyst Canada Advisory Board. Ms. Leroux is also the President of
the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and a member of the
Board of Directors of the European Association of Co-operative
Banks. She is also the founder and Chair of the International
Summit of Cooperatives. Before joining Desjardins Group in 2001,
Ms. Leroux held senior executive positions at Québecor, RBC and
Ernst & Young.
Ms. Leroux has received a number of honours, including being
named a Member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre
national du Québec and a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur
(France). She is also the
recipient of the Woodrow Wilson
Award (United States), the
Outstanding Achievement Award from the Québec CPA Order and the
Institute of Corporate Directors Fellowship Award. She holds
honorary doctorates from 8 Canadian universities. Ms. Leroux also
lends her time and support to a host of not-for-profit
organizations.
Calin Rovinescu
Calin Rovinescu is President and CEO of Montréal-based Air Canada
since April 2009. Chair of Acasta
Enterprises Inc., Mr. Rovinescu was the Executive Vice President,
Corporate Development and Strategy of Air Canada from 2000 to 2004
and, during the airline's restructuring, also held the position of
Chief Restructuring Officer. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Rovinescu was a
Co-founder and Principal of Genuity Capital Markets, an independent
investment bank. From 1979 to 2000, Mr. Rovinescu was a lawyer and
then a partner with the Canadian law firm Stikeman Elliott LLP, and
was the Managing Partner of its Montréal office from 1996 to
2000.
Mr. Rovinescu is Chair of the Star Alliance Chief Executive
Board and a member of the IATA Board of Governors. Mr. Rovinescu
was named the 14th Chancellor of the University of Ottawa in November 2015. He also serves on the Board of
Directors of several private and non-profit corporations. Mr.
Rovinescu holds Bachelor of Law degrees from Université de Montréal
and the University of Ottawa.
Gordon M. Nixon
A BCE
Director since November 2014, Mr.
Nixon serves on the Corporate Governance Committee and Management
Resources and Compensation Committee. A director of BlackRock, Inc.
and George Weston Limited, Mr. Nixon was President and CEO of Royal
Bank of Canada from August 2001 to
August 2014. He first joined RBC
Dominion Securities Inc. in 1979, where he held a number of
operating positions, serving as CEO from December 1999 to April
2001.
Mr. Nixon is Chair of MaRS, a Toronto-based network of partners that helps
entrepreneurs launch and grow innovative companies. He also chairs
the Queen's University Capital Campaign and is a trustee with
Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2012, he chaired the Ontario Premier's Jobs and Prosperity Council.
Mr. Nixon earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from
Queen's University and holds Honorary Doctorates of Laws from
Queen's University and Dalhousie
University. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the
Order of Ontario.
Thomas C. O'Neill
Mr.
O'Neill will retire from the Board at BCE's Annual General
Shareholder Meeting on April 28, 2016
in Montréal. Serving as a BCE Director since 2003 and as Chair of
the Board since 2009, Mr. O'Neill has been critical to Bell's
successful transformation into the competitive leader in Canadian
broadband communications. Widely esteemed for his corporate
governance leadership, Mr. O'Neil formerly served as CEO and Chair
of the Board of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, COO of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Global and CEO of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Canada.
Mr. O'Neill is Chair of St.
Michael's Hospital and a member of the Advisory Board of
Queen's University School of Business. He is a Fellow of the
Institute of Corporate Directors and received the ICAO Award of
Outstanding Merit, the highest honour from CPA Ontario, and a range
of corporate governance honours in his time as BCE Chair. Mr.
O'Neill is non-executive Chair of The Bank of Nova Scotia's Board of Directors, and a
Director of Adecco S.A. and Loblaw Companies
Limited.
About BCE
Canada's largest communications company, BCE
provides a comprehensive and innovative suite of broadband
communication services to residential and business customers from
Bell Canada and Bell Aliant. Bell Media is Canada's premier
multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of
home and digital media, including CTV, Canada's #1 television
network, and the country's most-watched specialty channels. To
learn more, please visit BCE.ca.
The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health
with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's
Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access,
research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please
visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries:
Jean Charles
Robillard
(514) 870-4739
jean_charles.robillard@bell.ca
Investor inquiries:
Thane Fotopoulos
(514) 870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca
SOURCE Bell Canada