Prominent business people, executives and former executives in North America
Introduction
Executives in the News (EITN) is a site that provides information about current and former business personalities as well as up-and-coming business people who appear in media, both tradtional and social media.
President and Chief Executive Officer - National Bank of Canada
Réal Raymond as CEO and President of National Bank of Canada is responsible for the strategies, orientations and development of the Bank and its subsidiaries. Prior to this appointment, he held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Raymond has worked at National Bank since 1970. In 1977, at the age of only 27, he became one of the youngest branch managers of the Montreal-based institution, before joining the Corporate Banking division in the mid-1980s. This marked the beginning of a rapid rise through the Bank. In 1987, Mr. Raymond was promoted to Senior Manager – Corporate Banking, Eastern Canada, a position he held until 1989, when he was appointed Vice-President of that sector. In 1991, he became Senior Vice-President – Real Estate and Corporate Banking for all of Canada, after which his career moved more towards financial markets. In 1992, Mr. Raymond was appointed Senior Vice-President – Treasury and Financial Markets, and in 1997 he joined the ranks of Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion, the leading Quebec securities broker (which has since become National Bank Financial), as Senior Executive Vice-President. In the fall of 1999, he was appointed President – Personal and Commercial Bank, in which position he was responsible for the Bank’s day-to-day operations. He continued in this capacity until his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2001.
In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Raymond is actively involved in a number of well-known Quebec institutions. He chairs the major development campaign at the Université du Québec à Montréal, which began in 2002 and ends in 2007 and also chaired the Banks division of the 2006 Centraide du Grand Montréal campaign. In 2003, he was named financial personality of the year by the business publication Finance et Investissement. In 2002, he was awarded the Prix Hermès by the Université Laval Faculty of Business Administration and, in 2000, he was honoured as MBA of the year by the Quebec Association of MBAs.
In 2005, Mr. Raymond was named CEO of the Year in a survey conducted by the French daily La Presse and was among the nominees for the prestigious CEO of the Year award given by the Financial Post Business Magazine. In its Sunday, March 12, 2006 edition, La Presse named Mr. Raymond as its Personality of the Week. Mr. Raymond sits on the Board of Directors of National Bank and is Chairman of the Board of the subsidiary National Bank Life Insurance. He is also on the boards of St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and the Cercle des présidents, and is a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Fondation de l’UQAM. He is also President of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Foundation and Governor of the Quebec Association of MBAs. Nationally, Mr. Raymond serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Conference Board of Canada. Mr. Raymond is a graduate of the Université Laval in administration and has a MBA from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a diploma from the Institute of Canadian Bankers. In 1990, Mr. Raymond successfully completed the renowned Executive Management Program at the University of Michigan. Read Full Post...
A fresh-faced Raymond McFeetors, who holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Winnipeg, first entered the doors of Great-West Life as a junior trainee in 1968. It was a smart career move. The married father of four and homegrown Manitoban earned his chartered financial analyst designation in 1978 and managed to work his way up to senior vice-president and chief investment officer by 1991, making the leap to president and chief executive officer just a year later. McFeetors became co-president and CEO (with William McCallum) of the parent corporation in 2000, and went solo in the top spot last year after McCallum's retirement. In the past year, Great-West Lifeco has bought two annuity blocks in the U.K. with almost $15 billion worth of assets, greatly increasing its European presence.Read Full Post...
Philip Pascall's success stems from one simple decision: He set up shop in mineral-rich Central Africa in the 1990s when most of his mining peers were either unwilling or unable to do so. Today, with metal prices near record highs, he's got a lot of company. Firms are eschewing the political risks to invest billions into countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But Pascall - who was born in Zimbabwe and still enjoys Africa's wildlife as much as the mining - got to No. 2 on our CEO list by getting into the continent ahead of the pack.
Pascall's involvement in Zambia began in the early 1990s, when he was doing project management work, just as the country was coming out of a socialist period. He and a few colleagues launched First Quantum Minerals Ltd. in 1996, after they acquired some promising mining licences. That led to the Bwana Mkubwa project, which began in 1998. "There was interest in Africa from other companies," Pascall says. "The difference with us was that we got an operation up and running. And that provides a base from which to expand and develop and get to understand what you're doing."
Pascall repeated that success in the DRC and Mauritania, and First Quantum now has seven projects, while its 2006 revenue topped the $1-billion mark. It's also enjoyed meteoric share-price growth. In 2002, First Quantum was producing 12,000 tonnes of copper and its stock was below $3. Last year, it produced 183,000 tonnes and shares topped $110. The company expects to produce 400,000 tonnes in 2010. That track record has won plenty of fans. "That is one of the most extreme areas of the world to try and operate in on a day-to-day basis," says John Hughes, an analyst at Desjardins Securities in Toronto. "There is no one company in Central Africa that has built a mining concern that comes anywhere near to what Pascall built for First Quantum."
Of course, it's not all about Pascall. Copper prices that have more than quadrupled since 2003 and merger rumours have given the stock an enormous boost. Pascall acknowledges that the company has been approached about potential deals, but says it's not something he's pursuing. In his mind, the biggest challenge going forward is managing First Quantum's cash and proving to investors that he can keep delivering whirlwind growth.
While he plots First Quantum's future, Pascall's also getting to see if mining smarts run in the family. His daughter Joanne, a geology grad, joined the company last year. She also received an offer from rival LionOre, but Pascall would not let her go. "We snapped her up, and she's working for us in Zambia," he says proudly. Read Full Post...
Marcel Coutu joined Canadian Oil Sands Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Oil Sands Trust, as President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2001. Under his leadership, Canadian Oil Sands internalized management and has grown to become the largest owner in the Syncrude Joint Venture. In addition to providing guidance and direction to the Trust, Mr. Coutu is Chairman of the Board of Syncrude and chairs the Syncrude Joint Venture CEO and Management Committees.
Mr. Coutu has 25 years of experience in the resource and energy sector, primarily focused in corporate finance. Prior to joining Canadian Oil Sands, Mr. Coutu was Chief Financial Officer of Gulf Canada until its sale to Conoco. Preceding that position, he was Senior Vice President International and Vice President Finance at TransCanada Pipelines where he helped finance their mainline expansion and international projects. Mr. Coutu also has worked many years in the upstream sector for companies that include Hudson's Bay Oil & Gas and Dome Petroleum, and has five years of experience in the investment banking business, mostly with Burns Fry Limited.
Mr. Coutu holds a H.B.Sc. in geology from the University of Waterloo (1976), an MBA from the University of Western Ontario (1980), and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists (APEGGA). Mr. Coutu is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede Pension Committee. As well, he is on the Board of Governors of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Originally from Welland, Ontario, Mr. Coutu now resides in Calgary with his wife and two children.
Rank:34
Age:55
Tenure:5 yrs., 9 mos.
Salary:$575 k
Bonus:$1.4 mil
Marcel Coutu was one CEO ahead of the curve when the federal government in April revealed its plan to cut 20% of emissions by 2020. In early March, he joined a climate-change task force of oil executives aiming to cut industry emissions. The Welland, Ont., native studied geology at the University of Waterloo and received his MBA from the University of Western Ontario in London in 1980. Apart from a five-year stint in investment banking, Coutu cemented his career in the oil and gas industry with senior positions at Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. and TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. Now CEO of Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Coutu also chairs Syncrude Canada Ltd., one of the company's major subsidiaries. Looking ahead, the father of two plans to boost production of the Syncrude Alberta oilsands project to 500,000 barrels a day in a decade.
Chief Executive Officer - Tesma and Executive Vice Chairman of Magna Intl.
Mr. Gingl is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tesma and the Executive Vice Chairman and a director of Magna International Inc. ("Magna"). From February 1995 to May 2002, Mr. Gingl also served as the President of Tesma. Between June 1993 and February 1995, Mr. Gingl served as Managing Director of Blau International Ges.m.b.H. and as President of Blau Autotec Inc., two companies which developed and supplied automotive fueling and cooling components and which were acquired by Tesma in July 1995. Prior to June 1993, Mr. Gingl served as President and Chief Operating Officer (since December 1981) and Chief Executive Officer (since April 1988) of Magna, during which time he coordinated Magna's strategy of becoming a world-class "systems" supplier to the automotive OEMs and established Magna's operating groups (now systems corporations) which are organized on a product line basis.Read Full Post...
President and Chief Executive Officer - TransCanada PipeLines Limited
President and Chief Executive Officer of TransCanada PipeLines Limited (TCPL) since May 2001, and TransCanada Corporation since May 2003. Prior to his employment with TCPL, Mr. Kvisle was the President of Fletcher Challenge Energy Canada Inc. (oil and gas) from 1990 to 1999. He has worked in the oil and gas industry since 1975 and in the utilities and power industries since 1999. He held engineering, finance and management positions with Dome Petroleum Limited, is former Chair of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and is Chair of the Mount Royal College Board of Governors.
Mr. Kvisle has Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Engineering from the University of Alberta and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.
Gwyn Morgan, P.Eng. is a director of several large corporations in Canada, including EnCana Corporation and SNC-Lavalin. He is also on the board of trustees of the Fraser Institute, a Director for The Manning Centre for Building Democracy and a non-executive Director of HSBC. He is most noted for being the former President and CEO of EnCana Corporation.
In 2006, Morgan was appointed by Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper to chair the new public appointment commission. However, the appointment was rejected by opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) due to statements Morgan had made linking refugees with crime in Canada. NDP and Liberal MPs objected to Morgan's linking of refugees to crime, comments he made when he was in business and not directly involved with federal politics.
Morgan's defenders noted that the federal Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada agency ran a program from 1999 to 2003 under the governing Liberals called Project Early Intervention that targeted children in a community "made up of recent Arabic and Somalian immigrants" with the goal of reducing crime. In addition, in 2004, Canada established a national action plan, aimed in part at reducing violence, called A Canada Fit for Children which said "children of recent immigrants and refugee children are more likely to experience economic disadvantage with its associated risks." For these reasons, the attack on Morgan was seen by some as a veiled partisan attack on Prime Minister Harper.
There were also concerns raised that Harper's first nomination for the new post was a fundraiser for the Conservative Party of Canada; since the position was intended to reduce or eliminate the use of public appointments for "patronage" purposes, Opposition MPs saw the appointment of a Conservative Party partisan as inconsistent. Read Full Post...
former President and Chief Executive Officer - Shell Canada Ltd.
Clive Mather was born in Warwickshire, England in 1947 and won scholarships to Warwick School and Lincoln College, Oxford. He joined Shell in 1969 and retired in 2007. His career included assignments in Brunei, Gabon, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada and the UK where he was Chairman of Shell UK Limited between 2002 and 2004. His last position was as President & CEO of Shell Canada Ltd based in Calgary. Shell Canada was one of the biggest companies quoted on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with major businesses in oil & gas exploration and production, oil sands, and refining and marketing. Whilst in Canada he was also a Director of Placer Dome Inc. and the C D Howe Institute, Canada's leading think tank. He was formerly Chairman of the UK Government/Industry CSR Academy, Deputy Chairman of the Windsor Leadership Trust and Chairman of the IMD Business Advisory Council in Switzerland. He held a number of public appointments in the UK including Commissioner for the Equal Opportunities Commission, Chairman of the Petroleum Employer’s Council and Chairman of the Lambeth Education Action Zone.
Mather writes and speaks on leadership, the environment and energy internationally.
He is currently the Executive Chairman of Aibel Group Limited, the international oil and gas services company. He is the Lead Director of Iogen Corporation, a Canadian company specializing in enzyme technology and a leading producer of cellulosic ethanol. He is Chairman of the Shell Pensions Trust Ltd. He is a Director and the Chairman designate of Tearfund, the Christian charity working to combat global poverty. He also serves on the Royal Anniversary Trust, the Council of The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association, and the Advisory Board of the Relationships Foundation.
In 2004 the Board of Shell Canada Limited appointed Mather as president and CEO of Shell Canada.
During 2006 Royal Dutch Shell, which owned 78% of the public stock of Shell Canada commenced an $8.7-billion takeover of the 22% of Shell Canada that it didn't own. In March 2007 the shareholders of Shell Canada Ltd. accepted a $45.00 per share cash offer from Royal Dutch Shell Plc [1]. In the year up to the acceptance of this offer shares in Shell Canada increased in value from $28.90 to just under $45
Rank:8
Age:59
Tenure:2 yrs., 10 mos.
Salary:$979 K
Bonus:$800 k
When parent Royal Dutch Shell took full control of Shell Canada last month, eliminating the need for a separate CEO, Clive Mather decided it was time to retire. So on June 6, Mather will step down after 38 years with the company, including nearly three as CEO at Shell Canada. He joined Shell in 1969, and has taken positions across the globe, including jobs in Brunei, South Africa, Britain and the Netherlands. The English-born Mather took charge of Shell Canada in 2004, spearheading the company's $2.4-billion acquisition of BlackRock Ventures Inc. and investing in the multibillion-dollar expansion of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, while advocating sustainable development.
Bradley H. Langille serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Gammon Lakes Resources Inc. Mr. Langille serves as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President of Mexgold Resources Inc. and has been its Executive Director since 2003. Mr. Langille is the founder of Gammon Lakes Resources Inc. and assembled its first group of mineral claims. From 1985 to 1990, Mr. Langille served as Vice President of Metro Insurance Services Limited, a medium-sized general insurance agency ... operating in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Prior to 1990, Mr. Langille operated a small wholesale and distribution business in Halifax. Since 1990, Mr. Langille has been employed as an airline pilot with Air Nova, a division of Air Canada Ltd. Mr. Langille has been a Director of Gammon Lakes Resources Inc. since 1996 and serves as a Member of its Audit Committee. He has experience in mineral prospecting, exploration techniques, project management and negotiation of mineral acquisitions. Most notably, he has been instrumental in the exploration of disseminated gold in Nova Scotia. Mr. Langille studied Geology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax and has prospected mineral properties for the past seven years.Read Full Post...
President and co-Chief Executive Officer - Power Corporation
André Desmarais, O.C. (born October 26, 1956, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian businessman, whose hometown is Montreal, Canada. He is one of two sons of Paul Desmarais, Sr. He is currently the president and co-chief executive officer of his father's founding company the Power Corporation, based in Montreal, Canada. It is a diversified management and holding company, which has holdings in leading financial services and the communications sector. Through its European-based affiliate Pargesa group, Power Corporation holds significant positions in major media, energy, water, waste services, and specialty minerals companies. Power Corporation also has diversified interests in Asia.
He attended Selwyn House School and later obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University, both located in Montreal. Andre Desmarais was appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers in the years of 1998-2005[1].
In 2003 he was appointed to the International Council of the JP Morgan Chase Bank. Also in that year he was named an officer of the Order of Canada. He is married to France Chrétien Desmarais, the daughter of former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien. They have four children.
Born in 1956. Early in his career involved with Corporation Campeau Limitée (real estate). Special assistant to the Minister of Justice of Canada. Institutional investment councillor at Richardson Greenshields Securities. Joined Power Corporation in the early 1980s. Headed the exploitation department at Power Corporation for several years. Director Groupe Bruxelles Lambert since 1990. President and co-CEO of Power Corporation since 1996 and primarily responsible for the publishing arm of the company. Regularly attends the Trilateral Commission since the late 1990s. Member of the International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan Chase anno 2005. Director and member of the International Advisory Council of the Hong Kong-based CITIC Pacific, a very large industrial corporation operating in China. Member of the Chief Executive's Council of International Advisors of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), together with Paul Volcker (former head FED; Rockefeller protege), Peter Sutherland (chair Goldman Sachs; chair Trilateral Commission), Maurice R. Greenberg (chair AIG; vice-chairman CFR; Bilderberg; Trilateral Commission; Bohemian Grove; trustee Rockefeller University), Sir John Bond (Chair HSBC; Bank of England; Multinational Chairman's Group). Named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. Honorary chairman of the Canada-China Business Council, an organization founded by Maurice Strong and his father. Andre Desmarais is married to France, the daughter of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.Read Full Post...
Senior Vice President Cossette and General Manager Blitz Direct, Data, & Promotion
Uwe Stueckmann, a leading figure in the Canadian direct marketing and CRM industry, is joining the Cossette Communication Group in Toronto as Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Blitz Direct, Data & Promotion.
Stueckmann, who has more than 15 years experience in direct marketing, CRM and customer loyalty program development, was most recently Vice-President of Marketing with Lowe’s Companies Canada, the U.S.-based home goods retailer that is launching soon in Canada. Before that, Stueckmann spent five years with Shoppers Drug Mart, managing the drug store retailer’s Optimum card loyalty and CRM programs.
“Direct response marketing is playing an increasingly important role in the marketing mix, particularly with the rising influence of consumer control,” says Brett Marchand, Cossette Group Executive Vice-President and Toronto General Manager. “We spent several months searching for the right person to head our direct response business and believe that with Uwe Stueckmann we have brought on board one of the best CRM, brand response and retail specialists in the country.”
Stueckmann, who also worked in database management and loyalty programs at the Loyalty Group (Air Miles Rewards) and Petro-Canada, worked closely with Blitz in developing the Optimum loyalty card program at Shoppers Drug Mart.
“Having had the opportunity to work with Blitz as a client and having seen the great work they’ve done over the years makes me very excited to lead this organization in the next phase of its growth,” says Stueckmann.Read Full Post...
President and Chief Executive Officer - Pioneer Petroleum
Pioneer Petroleums has been recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Private Companies. Canada’s 50 Best Managed Program, sponsored by Arthur Andersen, CIBC and National Post, was established in 1993. The 50 Best logo has come to symbolize Canadian success - companies that are growing rapidly and excelling. “This recognition is very gratifying, especially since it comes just three years into the implementation of a long-term growth strategy we developed in 1997,” said Tim Hogarth, President and C.E.O. “This award speaks to the commitment and dedication of Pioneer people at all levels of the organization across Ontario.” Tim Hogarth, President & CEO
Pioneer’s growth strategy was built around a commitment to better meet the demands of customers for quality, service and convenience, said Mr. Hogarth. “Our Snack Express Expanded Retail Offer, which was first introduced in late 1997, has been very successful.” Pioneer also continues to invest in its people and facilities. The company has developed comprehensive training and incentive programs, and continues to invest heavily in upgrading and refurbishing its retail network. “Today’s Pioneer delivers a broad variety of products and services in a welcoming and safe environment,” said Mr. Hogarth. “Our focus for the future is on continuing to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.” In 2000, Pioneer expanded into the U.S. market for the first time through a joint venture between The Pioneer Group Inc. and Bay Petroleum of Lansing, Michigan. Bay Petroleum’s sites are now being rebranded as Pioneer gas bars, and are introducing both Snack Express and Pioneer Bonus Bucks. Pioneer was founded by Murray Hogarth in Hamilton in November 1956, with the opening of its first gas bar on Upper James Street. The Burlington-based company owns and operates more than 160 locations from Windsor to Ottawa and north to Timmins. Head office staff, District Managers and Station-of-the-Year winners celebrate award announcement.Read Full Post...
Thomas J. Bata (born September 17, 1914), also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Tomáš Baťa Jr., ran the Bata Shoe Company from the 40s until the 80s.
Bata was born in the Czech city of Zlin, in what is now the Czech Republic, the son of Czech industrialist Tomáš Baťa.
Bata has also won many honorary degrees and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian award. He is the Honorary Colonel of the The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of the Canadian Forces Reserve, and is frequently seen in the field visiting with its troops. He currently resides in Toronto with his wife Sonja I. Bata, founder of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, where he continues to take an active role in the business, currently run by the Board of Directors of the company. Sonja and Thomas Bata head the largest and most successful family-run business in the world, selling just one simple but indispensable article of clothing - the shoe. Their inspiring story is told in the Life & Times of Sonja and Thomas Bata.
From its beginnings over a hundred years ago, the Bata Shoe Organization has sold more than 14 billion pairs of shoes - greater than the number of pairs of human feet that have walked the earth. It was Thomas Bata's father, a ninth generation cobbler, who founded the company in Czechoslovakia. His enterprising spirit, idealism and commitment to his workers formed the company's credo. Tomas Bata Sr. was a demanding father who groomed his son from an early age to run the company. When Thomas Jr. was 17, his father died in a plane crash. From then on, he resolved to carry on his father's legacy. Sonja Bata says: "His worry in life is that he might not live up to his father's goals, that he might fail his father."
By the 1930s, the Bata Shoe Organization was looking to explore the North American market. Thomas Bata wanted to make his mark. "I wanted to do something where I could say okay now this enterprise I built on my own. Canada was the one country that I selected for this experiment." Thomas Bata came to Canada and founded a successful shoe factory. He never looked back. And he did not disappoint his father's legacy.
After the war, Bata returned to Europe where he met and married Sonja who was impressed by this "capitalist with a social conscience." Sonja Bata's fashion sense and business acumen was to be a boon to the growing business. Together they would carry out the dream of Tomas Bata Sr. of putting shoes on the feet of every man, woman and child. They established companies in countries all over the world, employing local people and local materials. They built an international shoe empire. And Sonja Bata went on to create the largest shoe museum in North America to fulfill her twin passions, shoes and architecture.
Having built a network of more than 4,700 retail stores and 60 shoe-production facilities in over 30 countries, Sonja and Thomas Bata are about to turn over control of the business to their eldest son, Thomas George Bata.Read Full Post...
As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Rizwan Jamal brings 11 years of telecommunications and marketing experience to his role as he leads a national team dedicated to providing best-in-class marketing programs, including marketing communications, marketing intelligence, marketing operations, product marketing and related functions. He joined Clearnet Communications in 1998, prior to the TELUS acquisition, and has held increasingly senior roles within the organization. Prior to being appointed Senior Vice President, Rizwan held the position of Vice President of Channel Operations where he oversaw the company’s expanding national network of consumer product and service distribution channels, including corporate stores, dealer and retail partners, as well as direct sales. Rizwan holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
“TELUS and its team members are committed to give where we live,” said Rizwan Jamal, senior vice-president of Consumer Solutions at TELUS. “As such, we are proud to present an event like the RBC desiFEST which plays an important role in promoting and keeping alive the South Asian cultural richness across the country.”
Read Full Post...
Mr. Lind serves as Vice-Chairman of the Corporation. Mr. Lind joined the Corporation in 1969 as Programming Chief and has served as Secretary of the Board and Senior Vice President, Programming and Planning. Mr. Lind is also a director of the Council for Business and the Arts, the Power Plant (Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront), and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Mr. Lind is a former member of the Board of the National Cable Television Association in the U.S. and is a former Chairman of the Canadian Cable Television Association. He is also Chairman of the Board of the CCPTA (Channel 17, WNED). Mr. Lind holds a B.A. (Political Science and Sociology), University of British Columbia and a M.A. (Political Science), University of Rochester. In 2002, he received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of British Columbia. In 2002, Mr. Lind was appointed to the Order of Canada.Read Full Post...
Perry Miele has over 20 years of experience in the advertising and marketing industry and has earned a reputation as a strategic builder of businesses. He is also General Partner of The Mentor Fund, which invests intellectual and financial capital in “emerging” marketing and communications companies.
In 1987, Perry became a partner in Gingko, an integrated marketing services company, located in Toronto. At Gingko, Perry grew the company to become one of Canada ’s largest independently owned agencies. In 1998, he successfully negotiated a merger with DraftWorldwide (a subsidiary of Interpublic Group). Perry joined Draft’s executive management team as President of the International Group, leading the company’s international expansion.
Perry started his career with the Canadian federal government, rising to the position of Chief of Staff to the Minister of International Trade during the NAFTA negotiations.
Perry currently sits on the boards of Izumi Outdoors and the Fishing Forever Foundation and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Perry has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario. Read Full Post...
Linda Hasenfratz was named Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corporation in August 2002. She had been President of Linamar Corporation from April 1999 to August 2004. From September 1997 to September 1999 Ms. Hasenfratz was also Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Ms. Hasenfratz joined Linamar Corporation in July 1990 and embarked on an extensive training program to gain familiarity with all aspects of the business. Positions held in the Corporation range from machine operator to Operations Manager. Ms. Hasenfratz completed an Executive MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in June 1997. In addition, Ms. Hasenfratz holds an Honors Bachelor of Science degree from the same institution.
Board and Council Memberships: CIBC Board of Directors – Spring of 2004; Foundation Board of Directors, Royal Ontario Museum – appointed Spring 2002; and Catalyst.
Ms. Hasenfratz has been a director of Linamar Corporation since 1998.
Linda Hasenfratz was born in Guelph, Ontario, in 1966. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario and completed an Executive M.B.A. from the Ivey School of Business at the same university in 1997. She is Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corporation.
She was Materials Manager of the Traxie subsidiary and in 1995 became Operations Manager for the start up of Comtech Manufacturing Ltd. She was named General Manager of Comtech and Vehcom Manufacturing in 1997. Ms. Hasenfratz was named Chief Operating Officer of Linamar in 1997 and President in 1999, before assuming her current position in 2002.
Ms. Hasenfratz is a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the Catalyst Canadian Board of Advisors, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Original Equipment Manufacturers Association.
President & Chief Executive Officer - Danier Leather Inc.
Jeffrey Wortsman has been Chief Executive Officer of Danier Leather Inc. since 1997 and as its President since 1994. Mr. Wortsman joined Danier Leather Inc. in 1986. He is responsible for store operations, marketing, logistics, distribution and direct sales. Prior to joining Danier Leather Inc., Mr. Wortsman was employed by a prominent Canadian investment firm. Mr. Wortsman has been a Director of Danier Leather Inc. since 1994. Mr. Wortsman has been a Director of Cars4U.com ... Ltd. (now Chesswood Income Fund), an online retailer of automobiles since 1999. Mr. Wortsman received a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from York University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1985.Read Full Post...
Donald Triggs is currently the President of Arise Ventures Ltd. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vincor International Inc., a leading vintner in Canada and the fourth largest wine producer in North America. Together with Allan Jackson, he established the Jackson-Triggs brand in 1993. Today, an extensive portfolio of Proprietors' Selection and VQA Proprietors' Reserve and Grand Reserve wines are produced in both the Okanagan Valley and the Niagara Peninsula.
Mr. Triggs created the Triggs Premium Vinifera Lecture Series at Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute. He is presently a Director of the Board of Grapes for Humanity. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Ivey Business School at the University of Ontario and, in 2006, established the Donald L. Triggs Chair in International Business at the Ivey Business School. In addition, he previously served as Director and past Chairman of About Face, a former Trustee of Brock University.
Mr. Triggs has been presented with a number of prestigious awards including an Honourary Doctorate of Commerce from Ryerson in 2007, the American Marketing Association's Marketing Hall of Legends inductee in 2006, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brock University in 2004, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Ontario and Canada in 2003, to name a few. Mr. Triggs holds his Bachelor of Science (Honours Economics) in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and his Master in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.Read Full Post...
Managing Director - PriceWaterhouseCoopers - Toronto
Beverly Morden is a managing director in the Revenue Optimization practice within the Advisory Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP working in the Toronto office. The focus of her efforts is on helping Management Teams grow their top lines. As the former CEO of a publicly traded company, Beverley is able to relate well to the issues faced by executives and boards of directors and is the senior business advisor on selected accounts. Beverley has more than 30 years of management and executive experience in entrepreneurial, publicly traded and privately held mid to large-sized organizations, mostly as a driver of change. She has been instrumental in improving the profitability, and accelerating the growth, of a diverse range of businesses. Working with the C-Suite, Beverley defines and orchestrates broad-based performance improvement and change programs, incorporating multiple functional elements including process, sales and marketing, IT, finance and HR.
In three distinct industry settings as both the leader and a member of executive teams, Beverley has developed the ability to analyze the business environment facing companies, understand competitive threats and assess the internal capabilities of companies. Blending the knowledge of the external environment with the strategic ambitions of the business and the capabilities of the organization and following with activity-based costing analyses, repositioning products and services, acquiring and integrating businesses and identifying organic growth opportunities, Beverley has developed and implemented practical action plans for improved performance.
Beverly has a BA (Business and Psychology) and is a graduate of the YPO President’s Program at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Read Full Post...
Barry Avrich, Toronto, Ontario. Born in Montreal, Quebec. Barry Avrich is a veteran creative marketing professional and is currently President of Endeavour, a full service advertising agency. Barry has worked in sponsorship and marketing with major brands including American Express, Starbucks, Diesel, Cineplex, The Rolling Stones and many others. Barry is also an award winning film director, most recently, THE LAST MOGUL: The LIFE & TIMES OF LEW WASSERMAN, and author of three marketing books including the best selling; SELLING THE SIZZLE: The Magic and Logic of Entertainment Marketing. Barry is also a director of The Toronto International Film Festival Group, Stratford Festival of Canada, Best Buddies Canada, One x One Foundation, The International Emmy Awards and a member of Young President’s Organization. Barry is also President of Melbar Entertainment Group, a film and television production company.Read Full Post...
Mr. Oberman is a member of CGPA's Executive Committee and Board of Directors and, until becoming Chair, fulfilled the role of Vice Chair of CGPA. "I look forward to working closely with all stakeholders, including governments across Canada and the pharmacy community, to ensure Canadians have access to high-quality, affordable prescription medicines," said Mr. Oberman. "Prescription drug expenditure continues to be one of the fastest rising costs in health care. By increasing the use of lower-cost generic medicines, we can help preserve the public and private drug benefit plans upon which so many Canadians, particularly seniors, rely," Mr. Oberman said. "In fact, if the use of generic drugs in Canada increased to levels in the United States, it would save Canada's health-care system up to $500-million in the first year alone." In a career spanning more than 25 years, Mr. Oberman was previously the President of Bestfoods Canada and held senior management positions at Pillsbury Canada. Novopharm Limited is one of Canada's oldest and largest generic pharmaceutical companies. In 2000, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries acquired Ontario-based Novopharm making Teva the largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world. Read Full Post...
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Cundari Group Ltd
Aldo Cundari, 48, founder, chairman and CEO of Cundari Group and current chair of the National Advertising Benevolent Society, had no plans to work in advertising at all.
His original aim was to be a sculptor, but like the young dreams of many, reality stepped in.
“I studied fine arts in Canada, and felt that the schools here only brought me to a certain level, so went off to Italy to study, convincing the L’Instituto Europeo di Disegno to let me complete the three-year course in one year,” Cundari says. “But when I returned to Canada in 1979, there was a huge recession — not much need for sculptors — and I could see that there was no money to be made in that field. So I decided to freelance for a while in graphics and design, which is part of what I studied.”
A Long Term International Plan
His small shop in graphics and design has since grown to be one of the top 10 agencies in Canada and one of the few independents, with a staff of about 120 in Toronto, plus small offices in Washington, D.C. and Montreal, and the imminent opening of an office in Vancouver. Next are plans to buy an agency in New York, and, following a long-term plan, to have a substantial presence in various U.S. cities and, possibly, offices in the U.K. and other G7 countries to 2014.
Cundari doesn’t think small.
“We want to be the ‘super agency’, in Canada first, solidifying a strong national presence, and then moving outward,” he says.
To date, his plans are falling into place. His solid client base includes such long-term clients as BMW (11 years) and long-term staff.
“Big agencies would kill for our culture,” says Cundari. “People like working here. We have an extensive training program, with tool kits on every process, even on how to hold a meeting. We have training modules, including, occasionally, ones for all staff.
“We’re building an environment with great relationships and, through word of mouth, attract great staff and great clients. I think my own strength is my talent for being energized and motivated myself, and then motivating others towards a common good.”
An Ultra-Busy Schedule
The schedule that Cundari keeps can lead one to wonder how he gets all that energy, but he seems to thrive on keeping busy with a disciplined approach and eclectic interests. Married 20 years to his wife Livian and father of five — Natalie, Christopher, Julia, Joseph and Nicholas — his passions range from loving to cook, ‘great wines’, winning on the golf course, collecting hand-carved tall ships and hand-carved ducks, and practicing yoga in the agency’s own fully-equipped gym.
Added to that are his business travel and sitting on the Board of Governors of the Villa charities (operator of the second largest home for the aged in Toronto, several assisted-living locations, about 30 external life-skills homes in Toronto and other services) and on the Board of Reach for the Rainbow to raise funds for the hiring of the one-to-one counselors needed to send severely disabled children to summer camp.
That alone would keep a marathon man busy, but Cundari is in the first of a two-year term as chair of NABS, the communications industry's own charitable organization in Canada that provides assistance to advertising, media and related industry professionals who may need professional counseling or short term financial help due to illness, injury, stress or unemployment. That also involves traveling to NABS chapters in western Canada and Montreal (the latter known as the Benevolent d’entraide aux communicateurs).
Plans and Challenges for NABS
“NABS biggest challenge is to get the community to rally around it,” says Cundari. “We have to redefine what NABS stands for as a brand; have to broaden it to include anyone who touches on our industry; and must develop a dominant youth culture. We have to bring more younger people onto the Board and use them to bring in more people.
“There’s a lot of stress in our industry, and we need funds to help people with this and other problems that we see affecting young people, not just the seniors who tended to use NABS in the past. I’d like to see NABS broaden the scope of whom it can help — and to offer retraining as part of its services to get people back in the work force.
“I hope that within the next five years that the majority of the industry will understand what NABS stands for and will present it as part of the benefit package offered to employees.”
NABS exists solely through donations and funds raised through such events as its annual Gala, golf tournament and media auction.
“NABS’ biggest need is funds,” says Cundari. “We’re trying to grow the ‘Friends of NABS’, and are looking for 100 companies and individuals to donate.”
Putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak, Cundari personally donated $25,000 to NABS, and it is his agency’s charity of choice.
Keeping Up on Trends and High Level Topics
Citing his own biggest weakness as lack of time, Cundari keeps up to date by reading a lot, and maintaining his 18-year membership in Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide (MAAW), a global organization dedicated solely to the CEOs, presidents, managing directors and principals of top marketing services agencies — mainly independents. At its meetings (this spring in Berlin), members deal with solving developing issues and discussing topics of interest to senior executives, such as making a succession plan.
“MAAW helps me stay ahead of the curve,” says Cundari. “And I love to innovate.”
Cundari and his agency group have been responsible for many marketing breakthroughs, including the first customer retention programs for past client Hewlett Packard and successful branding campaigns for BMW and Siemens Canada.
Cundari Group itself is also a member of the ComVort Group, the world’s largest network of specialized, independent and owner-managed companies operating in all branches of integrated marketing-communication.
Cundari established a long-term plan for his agency seven years ago, which includes not only geographical expansion, but a totally integrated concept of all disciplines, and a succession plan — although he has no plans for retiring for many years to come.
Many Disciplines, One Bill
“We have no silos and have a one billing structure and system. That’s a fundamental difference between other agencies and us. Others are starting to migrate that way, but we have 25 years of learning about it. Your systems have to be different; your processes have to be different; your people have to be trained differently.
“Most of it has to be driven by the client. The client has to realize that, because you’re going to do that, you have to structure how you’re going to pay your agency differently. You cannot have varying price points or ways you buy goods. You should only pay your agency fee — and most agencies don’t know how to survive just on fees. They build the fat back into everything. That pisses off the client.”
At Cundari, there is no special pricing for each service. The client gets the best of what is needed from each discipline required and the people may move about as required. Even though Cundari Group includes Cundari Health and Cundari SFP (the branding and design group Spencer Francey Peters bought by Cundari in 2004), the same situation applies, with their separate names mainly to indicate specialization offered by Cundari in these sectors.
“We wanted to create ‘best in class’, which is why we bought SFP,” Cundari says. “It's all part of the plan. We offer best-in-class advertising, design, branding, interactive, direct marketing, promotion, events, media planning and public relations. We have top of the line print and broadcast production studios, our own focus group research facilities, and a development group that builds custom software applications.
“We offer everything to help clients reach their business goals. Our philosophy is ‘Creating Valuable Experiences’. We look everywhere for opportunities where we can make a difference. We want to create meaningful, valuable experiences that encourage people to take action. Everything we do is focused on the client.”
Geographical Expansion
Cundari opened its Montreal office in Dec./06.
“There’s more of an entrepreneurial spirit in Montreal than in Toronto,” says Cundari. “And there’s a lot of pharmaceutical business. I think we can gain an edge in Montreal because of the way we think. We want to draw clients locally. When we talk to the people there, they’re surprised at the scale of business that we have.
“We had been thinking of opening in Montreal for a couple of years. We didn’t open there to handle the francophone needs of our current clients, but if they migrate to our Montreal office, too, that's great.”
The Montreal office opened with the Teccart Institute account, and has since added another, as yet unnamed client.
The Washington office, opened in November, 2006, is working on the ‘branding’ of Washington, D.C., much in the way that the agency branded the Toronto Waterfront.
The Brand Is Everthing
“Branding and building value for the brand are key for us,” he says. “When a company has a problem, it’s usually not because it’s a bad company; it’s because it has a branding problem. The brand has to be central to everything, then everything else comes off that.”
Cundari has been opening up ownership of the company, with minor shareholders now including Garry Lee, agency president; Robert Lewocz , executive vice-president, and Maria Orsin, vice-president administration and finance. The next concept is for new seniors in the agency to also have equity.
“Our current challenge is to finance our geographical expansion and to find the skill sets we need in these markets,” Cundari says.
And, of course, Cundari would like to add some new accounts.
“We’re specialists in the luxury segment, with clients like BMW and Four Seasons, and would love to add a financial/wealth management client, and one in the higher end spirits or beer. In fact, we’d love any aggressive clients that want to succeed.
“And I’m always looking for the brightest people. If you have the right people, they’ll motivate others who will bubble to the surface.”
Research and Creative Thoughts
Cundari has some strong ideas on today’s research and creative trends.
“People are researching marketing to death because it’s the wrong kind of research. They don’t dig deep enough. They measure the creative and not the cause. That’s one of the reasons that we have our own focus group facilities. You have to gather the right information.
“And you have to build relationships. People are looking in the wrong places for creative ideas. They think they have to shock people. Rather, it’s important to know how to talk to customers with the right returns. Today, we often see what I call ‘bratvertising’ — advertising that doesn’t respect the brand.
“You have to know how to differentiate the brand, and when and how to talk to the consumer.”
Cundari is one of Canada's largest independently owned and operated communications agencies, with the goal of Creating Valuable Experiences for their client partners. Cundari operates in Toronto, Montreal and Washington and owns divisions that include Cundari Interactive, Cundari Health and internationally recognized design and branding firm, Cundari SFP. Established in 1980, The Cundari Group is proud to have been entrusted with such brands as BMW, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Royal Ontario Museum, Subway, National Car and Truck, CIBC Run for the Cure and Bordner Ladner Gervais, to name a few. Visit www.cundari.com for more information.
former President and Chief Executive Officer, BCE and Chief Executive Officer, Bell Canada
Michael J. Sabia was President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada. He is also Chairman of the Board of Bell Aliant Regional Communications, as well as director of BCE Inc., Bell Canada and The Thomson Corporation.
Mr. Sabia was President and Chief Operating Officer of BCE from March 2002 to April 2002, and Chief Operating Officer of Bell Canada from March 2002 to May 2002. He was President of BCE from 2000 to March 2002 and Executive Vice-President of BCE from July 2000 to December 2000, and Vice-Chair of Bell Canada from 2000 to March 2002. He was previously Vice-Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada International Inc. (BCI) from 1999 to June 2000 and then Vice-Chair of BCI from 2000 to November 2001. Before joining BCI, Mr. Sabia was an executive of Canadian National Railway Company (railway company) where he joined as Vice-President, Corporate Development in 1993, and was appointed Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer in 1995. Prior to 1993, Mr. Sabia held a number of senior positions in the Canadian Federal Public Service, including Director-General of Tax Policy in the Department of Finance and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans) in the Privy Council Office.
Sabia, the son of the feminist Laura Sabia, held a number of senior positions in Canada's federal public service during the 1980s and early 1990s, including:
* Director-General of Tax Policy in the Department of Finance * Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans) of the Privy Council Office.
Sabia's supervisor, Clerk of the Privy Council Paul Tellier, left the public service to assume the presidency of Crown corporation CN Rail in the early 1990s and subsequently persuaded Sabia to follow him to help in privatizing the company. Sabia's partnership with Tellier led to increasing respect within the Canadian business community for the rapid turn-around of the company's financial performance. Sabia held a number of executive positions at Canadian National Railway during the 1990s such as Vice-President, Corporate Development and Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.
Sabia subsequently left CN to the executive offices at BCE.
On April 28, 2006, BCE announced that CEO Michael Sabia was taking a 555% pay increase, his salary being raised from $1.21 million CAD a year to $6.71 million CAD a year. The pay included a $1.25 million CAD salary, a $29.2 million CAD bonus that Sabia converted to deferred share units, a long-term incentive payout of $3 million CAD and other compensation, the filing shows. Bell Canada also posted record revenue increases for the previous fiscal year.
On September 21, 2007, Sabia announced he will leave BCE after the privatization deal closes.
Profile from Macleans magazine:
In her day, the late Laura Sabia was never shy about poking establishment noses. Tart and outspoken, the founding president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in 1972 was a champion upender of the status quo. Now her youngest child, Michael, has suddenly vaulted into the top job at BCE INC., the bluest of the blue chips - it's telephone giant Bell Canada's parent after all - albeit in one of its periodic slides from glory. Thank goodness, shareholders may say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
When 48-year-old Michael Sabia takes the dais this week at BCE's annual meeting, he will be wearing his darkest suit, speaking in his most careful tones and doing his best to keep his electric hair under control. Don't be fooled; he is truly the iconoclast's son. In two previous incarnations, Sabia took his lack of specific training, his distanced eye, and turned it into an asset. "If you want to know about water," he once said, "don't ask a fish." Ask instead, the one getting thrown in the deep end.
His first dunking was the GST. Somebody had to think that sucker through and figure out how to implement a new federal consumption tax across an unwieldy and unwilling economy during the all-consuming '80s. Might as well be the new kid in the Finance Department, you know, the one with the political science degree from Yale who had wanted to be an academic.
Then came a six-year stint as Paul Tellier's sidekick at Canadian National Railway Co. Just a couple of old civil service buddies fixing up a clunker. Actually, two pretty intense, ferociously driven ex-bureaucrats, who made a pig fly, as one business book had it: first by privatizing the former Crown corporation and then by turning it into one of the most efficient railways in North America. "This was a business miracle that business people were not able to produce," observes Stanley Hartt, chairman of Salomon Smith Barney Canada Inc., a commercial banker, and a deputy minister of finance during the Brian Mulroney years. And in the course of producing it, Sabia became, in Hartt's view, "the quintessential CFO," a chief financial officer who was routinely sought after by other corporations for his strategic thinking. "And he doesn't even have an accounting degree!" says Hartt. "He's not trapped by 'thinking inside the box' because he hasn't been in any single place long enough to be in a box."
But he is now. If not all that much is known about Michael Sabia - he's turned aside all interviews at least until he has met with shareholders and has all his management ducks lined up - there is no shortage of speculation about what ails giant BCE. Sabia has been at the telecom and communications conglomerate since October, 1999, coincidently just a few months after mentor Tellier joined the BCE board. Sabia started by running Bell Canada's international arm, its investments in phone and Internet companies in Asia and Latin America. But he was quickly moved up the ladder. By July, 2000, he became executive vice-president of parent BCE, and in January was named its chief operating officer, the No. 2 (again) but clearly the heir apparent to the patrician Jean Monty. No one, however, thought the coronation would come as quickly as it did, at the end of April, when Monty unexpectedly lost a protracted battle with the BCE board, fell on his sword, and left it to Sabia to pick up the corporate pieces. Pretty big pieces at that.
Bell's telephone operations were all doing well, aggressively grasping for market supremacy, in fact. But almost all its other big investments were coming apart at the seams. And BCE shares, the once-happy haven of widows and mutual funds, had lost about a third of their value. The biggest headache was Teleglobe Inc., a state-of-the-art subsidiary that was girdling the world with fibre optic cables in anticipation of an e-commerce data boom that never quite materialized. By walking away from Teleglobe in April, after what some estimate as a $15-billion investment, and pushing it into court-ordered bankruptcy protection, BCE has staunched its red ink. But it has also lost its own set of overseas conduits and, more importantly perhaps, the parent company's withdrawal has really ticked off a long list of creditors. Which leads to headache No. 2.
At the end of June, a six-month window opens for SBC Communications Inc. of San Antonio, Tex., one of the more successful of the so-called Baby Bells in the U.S., to require BCE to buy back SBC's 20 per cent stake in Bell Canada for fair market value plus a premium of 25 per cent. Or roughly $7.5 billion. Given SBC's own ambitions - it has reportedly been sniffing around the fire sale possibilities of its former parent, AT & T&T;, as well as Teleglobe - most analysts expect BCE to have to come up with the money somehow. Doing so might also bring it face to face with the underpinnings of the Monty-induced, Sabia-backed strategy, the so-called three Cs: content, connectivity and (e-)commerce. This was the notion that prompted BCE to go out and buy itself a television network, CTV, and a newspaper, the Globe and Mail, to pump through its new-found Internet and Teleglobe connections.
"This won't be his first priority," suggests Lawrence Surtees, senior telecom analyst with IDC Canada and a long-time Bell watcher. "But within six months to a year I can see Sabia dismembering his media properties. They make money. But for BCE that's mostly chump change. And if you want to be a real convergence carrier, you don't want to be just locked in to your own guys, you want to be able to do deals with their competitors."
The end of convergence? Much too soon to say. Sabia's first moves have been very cautious, moving his own executives up into place but no radical house-cleaning. The look is much more one of BCE's time-honoured corrections. For a blue-chip operator, it has a history of buying the wrong assets at the wrong time. During the booming 1980s it saddled itself with real estate and energy appendages. Then, after selling Nortel Networks Corp., its manufacturing arm, two years ago it went on its Internet and media buying spree. But in many respects, Surtees argues, Bell has been retrenching for much of the last decade, solidifying its hold on business and household telephone use in Central Canada, the Maritimes and parts of the West. "There has always been that question," he says. "What does BCE want to be when it grows up?"
You might say the same for Michael Sabia. He's probably taken his talented amateur act as far as he can go. He's not the No. 2 any more, as he was at CN or even with the GST, where his immediate boss was tough-talking David Dodge, now the governor of the Bank of Canada. Sabia's now the one in charge, not the "shit disturber" he once called himself who can afford to challenge everything that's on the table. By most accounts, an impressive, quippy, likeable guy - "as long as you have the smarts to stand up to him," a former colleague says - even former opponents have nothing but praise. "He's brilliant, bulldoggy but always courteous," says ex-Liberal minister Doug Young, who was his party's GST critic in opposition and then worked closely with Sabia and Tellier on the privatization of CN.
So far, Michael Sabia has slipped in under the radar. He's not even listed in the Canadian Who's Who. But his wife, Hilary Pearson, is and there is a story in that. They met at the U of T, in their very first year and married in 1983 when they were both civil servants. She is the granddaughter of a Liberal prime minister; he is the son of the feminist firebrand who ran for the Tories and routinely threatened Mike Pearson with all manner of political devastation. An establishment marriage? Their daughter's name is Laura. Author ROBERT SHEPPARD
Executive Vice-President, Corporate and Legal - Talisman Energy
Ms. Sheppard joined Talisman in 1993 and is responsible for the Company's worldwide legal affairs, corporate projects and acquisitions and is secretary to the board. Corporate communications, investor relations and corporate responsibility are also her responsibilities. In the past five years, we have taken our expertise further and opened up new opportunities. In North America, we acquired a foothold in Appalachia and rapidly became the largest natural gas producer in New York state. In Canada, we are building a new core area in the Outer Foothills region of Alberta.
In the North Sea, Talisman continued to acquire assets where there was potential for development upside. We expanded into Norway, acquiring the Varg and Gyda fields, and became the third largest acreage holder in the country. The Company also made a significant discovery at Tweedsmuir, which was tied back to the Piper B platform, and has recently made an exploration discovery at Cayley. Southeast Asia has become our fastest growing core area, with first production from PM-3 CAA and growing volumes at Corridor. In addition, the Company acquired a very prospective exploration block off the coast of Vietnam. Talisman recently announced three successful exploration and appraisal wells in Vietnam and has an active drilling program planned for 2008. In addition, we were awarded two deepwater blocks offshore in Indonesia with drilling set to begin in 2009.
2007 was largely defined by ongoing asset sales, which had a significant impact on Talisman’s headline production, cash flow and earnings numbers. Over the past two years, we have sold 57,000 boe/d of non-core assets (producing approximately 28,000 boe/d in 2007), using the proceeds to repurchase approximately $1.6 billion in shares.
Production averaged 452,000 boe/d in 2007, down 7% from a year earlier. Production volumes were down primarily due to asset sales, while production from continuing operations was down slightly, reflecting a number of project delays.
Cash flow for the year was $4.3 billion, down 9% from 2006 and cash flow per share was down 4%, reflecting the repurchase of 46 million shares in 2007. Excluding cash generated by discontinued operations, cash flow was unchanged at $4.2 billion. Read Full Post...
former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - Canadian Pacific (CPR)
Mike Waites joined CPR in 1997 as Vice President and Comptroller, bringing to the railway more than 20 years of broad-based financial experience.
He was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2000. In 2003, Mike was also appointed Chief Executive Officer of CPR's US Network, developing and implementing strategies with respect to CPR's US properties. Prior to joining CPR, Mike was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Chevron Canada Resources. While with Chevron, Mike spent six years at Chevron's world headquarters in San Francisco, California, working in the exploration and production end of the oil business, as well as in the refining and marketing sectors. Mike was extensively involved in Chevron's acquisition of Gulf Oil Corporation in 1985. Upon returning to Calgary in 1986, Mike played a key role in developing the operating, fiscal and project financing arrangements for the development of the Hibernia oil field project off the east coast of Canada. Also, while with Chevron in Canada, Mike acquired responsibility for oil and gas exploration and production operations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and southern Alberta.
Mike is a Director of Finning International Inc. and a Governor of the Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island. Mike holds a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Calgary, an MBA from Saint Mary's College of California, and a Master of Arts, Graduate Studies in Economics from the University of Calgary. He has also completed the Executive Program at The University of Michigan Business School.Read Full Post...
Irving Oil Executive - former Executive Vice-President - Suncor Energy
Irving Oil has scooped up a senior executive from Suncor Energy Inc.'s ranks, with plans to put him into a senior slot at the privately held New Brunswick-based refining and marketing company. Mike Ashar's resignation from Calgary-based Suncor was announced internally on Monday, and is effective on July 4, Suncor spokesman Brad Bellows confirmed yesterday. Mr. Ashar was most recently Suncor's executive vice-president of strategic growth and energy trading. He also served as executive vice-president of refining and marketing in the United States, and as Suncor's executive vice-president of oil sands through the company's Millennium upgrader expansion. Irving declined to disclose precisely what Mr. Ashar will do when he moves to the company's head office in Saint John, but did note that he has extensive experience in refining and marketing on both sides of the border.Read Full Post...
Mr. Rhinelander has held a wide range of senior leadership positions since joining the Corporation in 1977. In August 1999, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Extendicare Inc. Immediately prior to that he served as Executive Vice- President. Mr. Rhinelander holds degrees in Economics and Education from the University of Western Ontario. He is past President of the Ontario Long Term Care Association.
Mr. Rhinelander is based at Extendicare's U.S. headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Extendicare is one of the largest operators of long-term care facilities in North America. The Corporation operates 298 facilities with capacity for 29,200 residents in the United States and Canada. Extendicare also provides medical specialty services in the United States, including subacute care and rehabilitative therapy services, as well as home health care and rehabilitative therapy services in Canada.
President and Chief Executive Officer - Manulife Financial
President and Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Financial since January 1994, Mr. D’Alessandro has led the Company to its 14th consecutive year of record financial performance, resulting in Manulife being among the most profitable life insurance companies in North America.
Mr. D’Alessandro led the successful demutualization and conversion of the Company to public company status in September 1999. This important accomplishment set the stage for the Company to become a world leader in the financial services industry. In 2004, he managed the largest cross-border transaction in Canadian history with the successful completion of the merger with John Hancock Financial Services, creating the second largest life insurance company in North America and the fourth largest in the world.
Mr. D’Alessandro continues to endorse and promote Manulife’s values, established under his leadership in 1994, common to all business divisions around the world. These values are summarized by the acronym PRIDE, which stands for Professionalism, Real Value to Customers, Integrity, Demonstrated Financial Strength, and Employer of Choice. Manulife is widely recognized for putting these values into practice. In 2007, it once again received first place ranking in the Globe and Mail's Corporate Governance survey. In addition it was named as the top Canadian Brand on the list of the world's 250 most valuable brands as well as one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. In early 2008 it was cited as a Best Employer of New Canadians.
Being a good corporate citizen is an integral part of the Company’s values. Donation and sponsorship commitments to the communities where the Company does business have increased considerably. Mr. D’Alessandro is also personally committed to citizenship. He is currently co-chair of the Montreal Neurological Institute’s fundraising campaign, a five-year, $40-million initiative to invest in people and expand facilities and services. He was Campaign Chair for the Salvation Army, Ontario Central Division’s first Capital Campaign. He was also Campaign Chair for the Greater Toronto United Way Campaign in 1998 and, in 1996, served as Co-chairman of the Corporate Fund for Breast Cancer Research Campaign.
Mr. D’Alessandro is a Vice Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and is a Director of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. He also Co-Chairs the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. As President of Manulife, Mr. D’Alessandro is a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee.
As well as receiving numerous other awards, Mr. D’Alessandro was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in August 2003. He was named ‘Canada’s Most Respected CEO’ for 2004 and ‘Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year 2002’ by his peers for his contribution to business and the community. In November 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Mr. D’Alessandro to the Advisory Committee on the Public Service of Canada, and in June 2006 appointed him to NAFTA’s North American Competitiveness Council. In July 2008, he will be inducted into the International Insurance Society Hall of Fame. Mr. D’Alessandro received honourary doctorates from the University of Ottawa and Ryerson University in June 2008. He received the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from the University of Manitoba in June 2007, and has also received the Canadian Business Leader Award from the Alberta School of Business in March 2007, an Honourary Doctorate from York University in June 2006, a 2005 Horatio Alger Award, a Special Lifetime Management Achievement Award from McGill University in February 2005, Concordia University’s Loyola Medal in May 2004, the University of Toronto’s Arbour Award in September 1999, and an Honourary Doctorate from Concordia University in June 1998. Mr. D’Alessandro was also made a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1993.
Career Highlights Mr. D’Alessandro graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from Loyola College, Montreal. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1971. Mr. D’Alessandro has an extensive and varied background in the financial services industry. From 1968 to 1975, he was employed by Coopers & Lybrand, where he also spent time in the firm’s Paris office.
In 1975, Mr. D’Alessandro joined Genstar Ltd. During his six years with the firm, he worked in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia as Director of Finance and subsequently General Manager, and was later based in San Francisco as Vice President of Genstar’s Materials and Construction Group.
Mr. D’Alessandro joined the Royal Bank of Canada in 1981 where he held a number of positions including Executive Vice President, Finance.
In November 1988, Mr. D’Alessandro was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Laurentian Bank of Canada.Read Full Post...
President and Chief Executive Officer - RBC Financial Group
Gordon Nixon is president and chief executive officer of RBC Financial Group, the brand name for Royal Bank of Canada and its subsidiaries. He is also a director of Royal Bank of Canada and chairman of RBC's Group Executive.
Mr. Nixon began his career in 1979 at Dominion Securities in Toronto where he worked in Global Markets and subsequently the Investment Banking division. In 1986, he transferred to Tokyo to assume responsibility for the firm's operations in Japan. Dominion Securities was acquired by Royal Bank of Canada in 1987 and Mr. Nixon returned to Toronto in 1989 as a Managing Director of Investment Banking. In 1995, Mr. Nixon was appointed head of Global Investment Banking and in 1999 became Chief Executive officer of RBC Capital Markets and a member of Royal Bank's Executive Committee. He was appointed President of Royal Bank of Canada on April 1, 2001 and Chief Executive Officer on August 1, 2001.
Mr. Nixon is Chairman of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and is on the Board of Directors of The Hospital for Sick Children, the International Monetary Conference and MaRS Discovery District for which he will become Chairman in 2009. He is also on the Canadian Advisory Boards of Daimler/Chrysler, Catalyst and Queen's University School of Business.
In 2007 Mr. Nixon was invested into the Order of Ontario and was the recipient of Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year Award. He has an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen's University, and is a recipient of the CIJA/UJA Words and Deeds Leadership Award, the Rotary Foundation's Paul Harris Fellowship, a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, a Learning Partnership Champion of Public Education Tribute and an American Banker Innovator of the Year Award. Born in Montreal in 1957, Mr. Nixon attended Queen's University where he received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree. He and his wife live in Toronto and have three children.
Rank:1
Age:49
Tenure:5 yrs., 10 mos.
Salary:$1.4 mil
Bonus:$5 mil
Gordon Nixon received $14.9 million in total compensation last year, the most ever paid to a Canadian bank CEO. But Canada's largest bank also had a record 2006 under his leadership, earning a $4.7-billion profit, the biggest yet for a Canadian bank. The Montreal-born, Queen's University — educated Nixon led the growth by signing off on five U.S. acquisitions, including the first retail takeovers since fall 2003, when the bank paid US$80 million for a group of Florida branches owned by Provident Financial Group. On tap? Nixon said in March he wants to continue finding even more American banks to buy.
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President and Chief Executive Officer - National Bank of Canada
