MONTRÉAL, Jan. 11, 2022 /CNW
Telbec/ - The Bell team is mourning the loss of Astral Media
co-founder and BCE Board member Ian
Greenberg, who passed away yesterday at the age of 79.
Respected as a role model in corporate leadership, media innovation
and community service, Mr. Greenberg built Astral, now part of Bell
Media, from a photography retailer into an international multimedia
leader.
"With the passing of Ian
Greenberg, Canada has lost a business visionary and media
legend, and we at Bell have lost a wise and affable colleague and
friend," said Gordon Nixon, Chair of
BCE Inc. and Bell Canada. "Ian
inspired all of us on the BCE Board with his integrity, insight and
optimism about the opportunities ahead for Canadian media, and we
will miss him greatly."
"I am tremendously proud to have known and worked with
Ian Greenberg, a fellow Montréaler,
a mentor and an enduring inspiration to me. Partnering with Ian on
BCE's acquisition of Astral Media and the national expansion of
Bell Media, I was always impressed by his deep business acumen,
natural integrity and warm sense of humour," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell.
"On behalf of the entire Bell team, I extend our deepest sympathies
to Ian's family, friends and everyone fortunate enough to have
known him."
Ian Greenberg co-founded Astral
with his brothers in Montréal in 1961. As the company began its
transition from photography retailer into a global content creator
and distributor in the 1990s, Mr. Greenberg assumed the role of CEO
and presided over 16 consecutive years of profitable growth before
Astral Media's acquisition by BCE in 2013. He joined the BCE Board
as a Director following the acquisition and served on the Audit and
Management Resources & Compensation committees.
A member of both the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Hall
of Fame and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, in 2007 Mr.
Greenberg received the Ted Rogers and Velma
Rogers Graham Award for his significant contributions to
Canadian broadcasting. Mr. Greenberg and his brothers received the
Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award for their support of a wide
range of philanthropic causes. He was a member of the Business
Council of Canada and served as a governor of Montréal's Jewish
General Hospital.
About BCE
BCE is Canada's largest communications
company, providing advanced Bell broadband wireless, Internet, TV,
media and business communications services. To learn more, please
visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better
today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic
prosperity of our communities. This includes the Bell Let's Talk
initiative, which 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 throughout the country. To learn more, please
visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries:
Jacqueline Michelis
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_News
SOURCE BCE Inc.