Ron McKenzie has been named Rogers Communications’ new Chief Technology & Information Officer in the wake of the July 8 outage that saw more than 10 million Canadians lose access to cellular, internet and other services. McKenzie previously served as President, Rogers for Business, for the past year and has been with the company since 2019 when he retired from Shaw Communications where he held various executive roles. He replaces Jorge Fernandes, who had been in the CTO role since 2018. Read more here.
Ken Geddes, Director of Operations for Stingray in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick, will be leaving the company at the end of August. Geddes, who has been with Newcap/Stingray for 15 years, has accepted a position with Sysco Foods as VP National Sales, Atlantic Region. With Geddes departure, Stingray will transition its Atlantic operations to a new management structure. Geddes started his radio career in 1984 as an announcer at Annapolis Valley Radio (AVR) in Kentville, NS. He joined Newcap in New Minas, NS as General Manager/General Sales Manager in 2007, before transitioning to a similar role in Halifax in 2010.
Steven D’Souza is a new co-host of CBC News’ The Fifth Estate, joining Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley. D’Souza has been with the public broadcaster since 2000, most recently as a reporter for Marketplace. He’s also served as a reporter and video journalist in P.E.I. and Toronto and worked as a foreign correspondent in New York City, among other roles. The 48th season of The Fifth Estate will premiere Thursday, Sept. 29.
Michael Serapio has been named the new English anchor at Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC). In addition to being the face of CPAC’s live programming, he will also anchor CPAC’s nightly show, PrimeTime Politics. The first Filipino-Canadian male to anchor a national newscast in Canada, Serapio started his career with production roles at CTV Ottawa and then cut his teeth as a reporter at CTV Vancouver, before returning to Toronto and Citytv. He joined CBC News Network as an anchor and host in 2010. Serapio joins CPAC on Aug. 22. Read more here.
Dan Misener, Director of Audience Development at Pacific Content, and Jonas Woost, Director of Strategy, have both left the Rogers Sports & Media-owned branded podcast and content studio. Misener had been with Pacific Content since 2016, while Woost joined in 2019 from TELUS Storyhive. Both have indicated they plan on pursuing a new entrepreneurial venture in the podcast space. On his way out, Misener shared 14 of the most important lessons learned during his time with Pacific Content. Founders Steve Pratt and Chris Boyce departed the company earlier this year.
Buck Martinez made his return to the Toronto Blue Jays broadcast booth on Tuesday, July 26. Martinez, 73, has been absent from Sportsnet since mid-April while undergoing cancer treatment. The former MLB player, who did stints as a catcher and manager for the Jays, has been working as a colour commentator for the team off and on since 1987, initially for TSN. He’s been with Sportsnet since 2010.
Joanne Dzierza has added Assistant Program Director to her duties at 102.3 The Wave (CKWZ-FM) Nanaimo. Dzierza has been with Pattison Media since 2014 and an on-air personality with its Nanaimo stations since 2015. She also serves as The Wave’s Music Director.
Sheri Rempel has been appointed the interim Chief Financial Officer of Vancouver-headquartered Liquid Media Group, following the resignation of Andy Wilson. Rempel has more than 30 years of accounting and financial management experience and currently serves as CFO and Controller of several corporations including Mobio Technologies, Victory Square and Nubeva. Wilson, who had been in the CFO role for a little over a year, leaves the company in tandem with the departure of CEO Ron Thomson. Wilson is also an Associate Director of the Cameron Thomson Group.
Trent Locke is the new Executive Vice-President of Finance and Analytics for the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Overseeing the Analytics & Strategic Insights, Finance & Administration, and HR teams, Locke will guide the CMF’s day-to-day business and financial operations. He was formerly VP of Finance and Chief Operating Officer at Portfolio Entertainment, and before that spent 14 years at Teletoon Canada as VP of Business Operations.
Brent Jolly will continue to serve as President of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) for the coming year. Fatima Syed, will also continue as a CAJ Vice-President, joined by veteran investigative journalist Cecil Rosner. Zane Schwartz and Paul Schneidereit will continue to serve as Chair and Treasurer, respectively. Karyn Pugliese will continue in her capacity as Past President. New members added to the board’s executive include: Laurie Few (Vice-chair) and Paula Tran (Community Manager). In addition to the executive roles, Jason Markusoff returns as chair of the CAJ’s awards committee, and new board member Angel Moore will chair the CAJ’s new Indigenous issues committee. Eva Holland will serve as CAJ’s Northern regional director; Anja Karadeglija will represent the National Capital Region; and Melissa Martin will represent Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Board seats representing Saskatchewan, Quebec, and the Toronto region remain unfilled.
