George A. Cope
George A. Cope CM (born 28 July 1961) is a Canadian businessman, and is currently the CEO of Bell Canada.
Early life and education
Cope was born in Scarborough, Ontario and grew up in Port Perry.[1] Cope's father played for a short time for the Toronto Argonauts, after which he ran gas stations and rustproofing shops. Cope's mother ran a store that sold fabrics.[1] Cope attended Port Perry High School [1] and played on the high school's basketball team and was also student council president. He earned a Business Administration degree with honours in 1984 from the Ivey Business School at Western University.[2]
Career
Cope was named CEO of Bell at the age of 53 as part of a proposed thirty five billion dollar leveraged buyout led by Providence Equity and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund in 2008.[citation needed] Due to the credit crunch and the ensuing Financial crisis of 2007–08, however, the buyout was cancelled. He led a competitor, Telus Mobility, before becoming President at Bell in 2005. He previously ran Clearnet, a wireless company that was bought by Telus in 2000.[citation needed]
Under his leadership, Bell's growth is being driven by a strategy of major investment in advanced networks and innovative services.
In 2010, Cope led the launch of the Bell Let’s Talk Initiative,[3] a major corporate campaign to improve mental health in Canada, for which he received The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Community involvement
Cope sits on the board of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and was instrumental in the firing of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke after BCE acquired MLSE.[4] As of 2015, Cope is also a member of the Richard Ivey School of Business Advisory Board at Western University and a member of the Business Council of Canada.[2]
Recognition
Cope was named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2015. He was also listed as one of Canada's top-paid CEO's by The Globe and Mail in 2014.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "George Cope: 'Really loves to win'". The Star. December 16, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ a b "BCE's George Cope named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year". The Financial Post. November 10, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ "Bell CEO Launches $50 Million Mental Health Initiative". Globe and Mail. September 22, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1312991--brian-burke-fired-decision-by-toronto-maple-leafs-new-suits-lacked-class-cox
- ^ "Executive compensation: Canada's 100 top-paid CEOs". Globe and Mail. September 15, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
External links
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