Cogeco Inc. Announces New Organizational Structure Combining its U.S. and Canadian Telecommunications Teams
Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. announced a new operating model to further optimize the Corporation’s focus on customer experience and operational excellence, and to power future growth. The Corporation is combining the commercial, operational, and technical functions of its Canadian and U.S. telecommunications businesses into a simpler North American organization. The above changes will enable the creation of strong cross-border centers of expertise in key strategic areas such as digital, advanced analytics, and technology.
It will also accelerate the deployment of top talent and best practices across the organization and will facilitate the harmonization of systems and platforms. Changes to the existing leadership team reporting to Frédéric Perron, President and Chief Executive Officer, become effective on September 1st and include: Sean Brushett – to become Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the performance of the Corporation’s call centers, field operations, facilities, and supply chain across Canada and the United States. Mr. Brushett previously held a similar role at Breezeline (Cogeco’s U.S. telecommunications business) as well as various executive positions at Comcast, Time Warner, and US West Communications; Nancy Audette – to become Senior Vice President – Growth Initiatives, responsible for growing the Corporation’s digital brands and wireless services across Canada and the United States. Ms. Audette was previously SVP and General Manager, Consumer at Cogeco Connexion (Cogeco’s Canadian telecommunications business).
She also spent five years leading Rogers’ Fido wireless business; Marie Ginette Lepage – to become Senior Vice President – Transformation, responsible for orchestrating key revenue and cost initiatives across the Corporation. Ms. Lepage was previously SVP Mobile Strategy and Innovation at Cogeco and brings a wide range of experience from companies such as Vidéotron and Bell; Paul Cowling – will join Cogeco on July 2 as Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer. Mr. Cowling brings deep functional and industry experience to the role as well as an extensive understanding of the telecommunications sector, having spent 12 years in similar functions at Shaw, and most recently at Xplore.
Finally, a comprehensive search is currently underway for the position of Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for functions such as sales, marketing, product, and digital across Canada and the United States. Updates about this appointment will be shared at a future date. Patrice Ouimet (Chief Financial Officer), Tim Dinesen (Chief Technology and Information Officer), Linda Gillespie (Chief Human Resources Officer) and Caroline Paquet (President, Cogeco Media) will continue to lead their respective areas.
As part of these changes, Frank van der Post (President, Breezeline) and Valéry Zamuner (Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer) have decided to leave the Corporation to pursue new opportunities. This new operating model will not impact the reporting segments disclosed for financial reporting nor the legal structure of Cogeco and its subsidiaries.
