Tag: Joe Natale

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Glenn Brandt appointed as Rogers’ chief financial officer

Glenn Brandt has been appointed the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Rogers Communications, a role previously filled by now president and CEO Tony Staffieri.

Brandt has worked for Rogers for the past 30 years in a variety of roles. Most recently he was the senior vice president of corporate finance.

“I look forward to working with the team to build on Rogers’ strong legacy of growth, deliver on our key priorities, and enhance value for our shareholders,” Brandt said in a statement.

A messy feud resulted in Staffieri serving as interim CEO back in November after former leader Joe Natale was ousted. This was the second time Edward Rogers, the chair of the board, attempted to appoint Staffieri.

Senior staffer Paulina Molnar stepped into the role of interim CFO.

Staffieri was appointed the official president and CEO in early January.

Source: Rogers

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Succession lead Brian Cox sends congratulatory Cameo to Edward Rogers on electing preferred CEO

Warning: the article contains language some may find offensive.

Fans of Succession got to see a live-action version of the TV series when the Rogers board room drama started to make headlines last year.

The show focuses on a bickering family fighting for control over the family media empire — outlining many of the markings that made up the drama at Rogers.

The two worlds collided once again when a Cameo recording directed towards Rogers board chair, Edward Rogers, recently surfaced.

As first obtained and reported on by The Globe and Mail, Brian Cox, who plays the family patriarch in the fictional series, congratulated Edward Rogers for having his pick of CEO.

“Congratulations on your real-life succession at Rogers Communications. And also having Joe Natale to fuck the fuck off. Well done Edward. Congratulations,” Cox said during the 19-second video, ending it with a thumbs up.

The video is referring to Edward Rogers’ push to replace former CEO Joe Natale with his pick Tony Staffieri. His first attempt in September was unsuccessful.

The move led to pushback from a handful of board members, who Edward Rogers tried to replace without taking part in a shareholders meeting. This lead the company to challenge Edward Rogers on the legality of his actions, but a B.C. judge ruled the move was admissable.

Staffieri was eventually elected as interim CEO, ousting Natale. He was announced as the permanent president and CEO on January 11th.

Cox starts the video by saying “this is from Suzanne,” apparently referencing the chair’s wife, Suzanne Rogers.

Cameo is a website that allows people to purchase personalized messages from celebrities. According to the website, Cox charges $868 USD (roughly $1086 CAD) per video.

A spokesperson for Edward Rogers told The Globe and Mail the video was shared “as a practical joke.”

Image source: Cameo/The Globe and Mail

Source: The Globe and Mail

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Tony Staffieri appointed indefinite CEO of Rogers Communications

Tony Staffieri is now the permanent president and CEO of Rogers.

Staffieri was filling the role as interim leader since late November while a permanent leader was being picked. He was in the running for the permanent position since the beginning.

Staffieri took over from former CEO Joe Natale on November 16. This was board chair Edward Rogers’ second attempt to appoint Staffieri.

The first in late September resulted in a chaotic power struggle that divided the Rogers family. While Edward Rogers was in favour of Staffieri, his sisters who also served on the board, weren’t. They believed Natale was the man for the job.

“This is a pivotal point in the company’s history and the board has full confidence in Tony’s ability to lead Rogers as we move forward,” Edward Rogers said in a statement.

The new change means Staffieri is now also part of the board of directors, alongside the Rogers siblings.

In a statement, Staffieri said he was honoured to be appointed the job.

“I remain focused on driving shareholder value with improved execution and completing the Shaw transaction to create one strong organization focused on delivering exceptional customer service and the best networks in Canada.”

The drama continued alongside the company’s plans to acquire Shaw Communications Inc. in a $26 billion transaction.

Staffieri started his interim role just days before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) started its hearing on the broadcast elements of the transaction. This was the only public hearing into the matter.

Matters of telephone, wireless, and internet services involved in the merger will be handled by the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. These meetings won’t be open to the public.

Staffieri isn’t the only change to the long list of Rogers executives.

The Globe and Mail is reporting two executives are leaving the company; senior vice president of strategy and corporate development, Dan Golberg, and chief communications officer Sevaun Palvetzian. This is in addition to the earlier departure of Dave Fuller, president of the company’s wireless division.

Source: Rogers

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Rogers CEO Joe Natale ousted, Edward Rogers’ top pick takes over

Joe Natale is no longer the president and CEO of Rogers, according to a statement from the company.

Tony Staffieri — Edward Rogers’ preferred executive — will take over as the telecom giant’s interim president and CEO. This shift comes amid a power struggle within the Rogers that resulted in a judge allowing Edward Rogers, the chair of the Rogers’ family trust, to replace five director’s on the company’s board.

“On behalf of the Rogers family, the Board and our 24,000 team members across the country, I thank Joe for his leadership and contributions to our company, including paving the way for our future together with Shaw,” said Edward Rogers, in a press statement.

“While Joe is moving on, we have an experienced interim CEO and leadership team who will continue to focus on the business, return to stability, and closing our transformational merger with Shaw.”

The press release goes on to state that Staffieri has “over thirty years of telecom, financial, media and sports experience, including nine as the chief financial officer of Rogers.”

However, it seems Staffieri’s appointment is truly temporary, as the release also says that Rogers is looking for a permanent CEO that will “continue to drive our future growth.”

Rogers says that it still plans to acquire Shaw this spring in a $26 billion deal that’s still awaiting approval from the Canadian government.

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Edward Rogers takes family squabble to B.C.’s Supreme Court

Edward Rogers has made good on his promise to take Rogers Communications’ messy leadership dispute all the way up to the British Columbia Supreme Court.

According to a press release from the company itself, the court will hear submissions “regarding the legality of Edward Rogers’ attempt last week to replace five of the Company’s independent directors with nominees of the Rogers Control Trust through a written resolution.”

The statement also reemphasizes Rogers (The Company™)’s position that the resolution put forth by Rogers (The Son™) is “invalid.”

If you, like many Canadians, are confused about what the heck is happening right now at one of the country’s biggest telecom providers, here’s a timeline of major events so far.

To summarize the main points, Edward tried to oust Rogers CEO Joe Natale, the plan backfired, and now the company’s board of directors is split into two factions: Team Edward and Team Joe, the latter of which ironically includes Edward’s mother Loretta, and his sisters Martha and Melinda.

Now, Edward is taking the squabble to B.C.’s Supreme Court, in hopes of having his faction legally recognized as the new official roster for Rogers’ board of directors.

However, early reporting on the court case from the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star has revealed contradictory stories from the Rogers family as to how the schism began.

In his court filings, Edward claims that Loretta and Martha were initially onboard with his plan to swap out Natale for the company’s then-CFO Tony Staffieri.

However, Loretta Rogers argues that her initial support of the swap was skewed by inaccurate, incomplete and biased information about Natale’s performance provided to her by Edward and his co-conspirators.

As a result, another board meeting, chaired by Melinda Rogers, was held without Edward present, where she, Martha and Loretta voted to fire Staffieri and support Natale.

The court hearing is scheduled for Monday, November 1st.

Source: Globe and Mail; Rogers; Toronto Star

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Internal Rogers power struggle failed to oust CEO Joe Natale: report

Toronto-based national carrier Rogers saw a dramatic power struggle that ended with the abrupt departure of chief financial officer (CFO) Tony Staffieri as company chairperson Edward Rogers tried unsuccessfully to unseat CEO Joe Natale.

The Globe and Mail details the full saga (which is well worth the read) based on information from sources within the company. The Globe did not identify the sources since they’re not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

According to the report, tensions between Staffieri and Natale brewed for years. Staffieri joined Rogers in 2012 and developed a close relationship with the company’s chairperson. Further, Staffieri reportedly had ambitions to become the CEO and frequently butted heads with Natale about the company’s strategic direction.

After returning from the company’s most recent Christmas break, Natale allegedly began searching for a new CFO to replace Staffieri — a search interrupted by Rogers’ proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications, which happened in March. At the same time, Edward Rogers reportedly was trying to remove Natale from the CEO position and transition Staffieri into it. Rogers was also reportedly working to replace other members of the executive team, many of which were loyal to Natale.

The sources claim an emergency board meeting was held on September 26th. Melinda Hixon-Rogers, deputy chair of the company and Rogers’ sister, reportedly opposed Rogers’ plan — the overwhelming majority of the board backed Natale and his team. Staffieri’s departure came three days later.

In a statement to The Globe, a Rogers company spokesperson said:

“As with any similar transition, the recent CFO change was voted on and approved by the majority of the board of directors. The majority of the board has full confidence in Joe’s leadership and strategic vision for Rogers as we look forward to the transformational combination of Rogers and Shaw and continue to focus on delivering long-term value for our customers and shareholders.”

The Globe also detailed the company’s ongoing struggle with executive turnover — that alone is worth taking the time to read if internal politics at Rogers is at all interesting to you.

Industry analysts told The Globe that Staffieri’s departure in the midst of the Shaw acquisition was strange and unexpected. The proposed acquisition still requires approval from several regulatory bodies, including the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) and the Competition Bureau.

Source: The Globe and Mail