Originally published in the April 27, 2023 edition of The Weekly Briefing
Navdeep Bains, former federal Industry, Science & Innovation Minister, has been appointed Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Rogers as part of a post-Shaw merger executive shuffle. In the new role, Rogers says Bains will build on his years of public and private sector leadership to help improve connectivity in rural and remote Indigenous communities across Canada, including leading Public Policy and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts for the company. Bains joins Rogers from CIBC, where he’s served as Vice-Chair of Global Investment Banking for the past year and a half.
Zoran Stakic has been appointed Chief Transformation Officer, joining Rogers from Shaw where he served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Technology Officer for the past five years. Rogers says he’ll work across the organization to help bring together Shaw and Rogers products and services to ensure a seamless transition for our customers. With Shaw for the past two decades, Stakic was formerly VP, IT & Strategy Execution at Sprint Canada. Terrie Tweddle moves from the role of Senior Vice-President, Communications & Responsibility to Chief Brand and Communications Officer, responsible for advancing the company’s brand and reputation.
Ted Woodhead, Chief Regulatory and Government Affairs Officer, will be leaving Rogers, with Marisa Wyse, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer, assuming Regulatory Affairs. Lisa Durocher, EVP of Financial Services, will also move to report to Chief Commercial Officer Mahes Wickramasinghe. In addition to the executive leadership changes, Brad Shaw, former Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer at Shaw, and Trevor English, Shaw’s former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial & Corporate Development Officer, have joined the Rogers Board of Directors. Read more here.
George Leith has joined Harvard Media as its new Executive Vice President & Managing Partner, responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day business activities. He arrives from Saskatoon-headquartered software company Vendasta, where he’s served in roles including Chief Customer Officer, Chief Revenue Officer and Vice-President, Sales over the past decade. His career began in local radio in Saskatchewan in the late 1980s with Golden West Broadcasting’s CJYM 1330 Rosetown and 1210 AM (CFYM-AM) Kindersley where he worked in sales and as a play-by-play announcer, before working his way up to morning drive and program director, among other roles. He left radio in 1996 to found ag-focused publisher Prairieland Publishing Group. Leith will also serve on the company’s board of directors. Read more here.
John J. Jordan has joined Harvard Media as the company’s new Chief Digital Officer. Jordan has previously held senior positions, including Director of Digital Revenue at McClatchy, Executive Vice President at Vendasta, and Vice President of Partner Success and Product at TownNews. In his new role, he’ll lead Harvard Media’s digital strategy, driving revenue growth and digital audiences, and overseeing all digital operations, including interactive and digital solutions.
Chris Myers, Program Director at Play 107 (CKPW-FM) and 95.7 CRUZ FM (CKEA-FM) Edmonton for the past seven and a half years, is among those caught up in restructuring at Harvard Media this week. Myers’ purview also included serving as PD for Kraze 101.3 (CKIK-FM) Red Deer. The midday hosts on both Edmonton stations, Jenna Winterburn and Derek Allen, and producer Seth Hennig were also casualties. Read more here.
Meredith Geddes has left the afternoon drive show on 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) Toronto. Geddes has been hosting the show, alongside Kolter Bouchard, since late 2018. Geddes tells Broadcast Dialogue she’ll have more to say about where she’s landing in mid-May. Corus says it will be recruiting a new afternoon co-host for Bouchard.
Heidi Rasmussen has joined William F. White International in Winnipeg as Director, Sales and Operations. Rasmussen previously served as the General Manager for Pattison Media’s QX104 (CFQX-FM) and 94.3 The Drive (CHNW-FM) Winnipeg from 2014-19. Prior to that, she served as General Sales Manager for Shaw Media in Winnipeg.
Jess Wernick, Corus Barrie Cluster Promotions Coordinator with 93.1 Fresh Radio (CHAY-FM), BIG 101.1 (CIQB-FM) and 95.1 The Peak (CKCB-FM) and a weekend on-air personality, has left Corus Radio. Wernick is the new Area Manager of Group Events at Canada’s Wonderland.
Jamil Jivani has announced his intention to seek the Conservative nomination, federally, in Durham. Jivani, whose nightly talk show on the Bell Media talk network was cancelled in January 2022 (followed by a subsequent lawsuit for breach of contract and wrongful dismissal) is a graduate of Yale Law, author, community advocate, and special adviser to the Ontario premier. Jivani has most recently been contributing to Postmedia’s platforms.
Anwar Knight has joined The Weather Network as a National Anchor. Knight was formerly a weather, news anchor and host with CTV News for 15 years, up until getting caught up in layoffs in Feb. 2021. He’ll also continue to be seen on CBC News.
Cindy Tran has announced she’s returning to CBC Ottawa after just seven months with The Canadian Press (CP). Tran joined CP as a reporter in the Ottawa bureau last October after working as an associate producer and reporter with CBC Ottawa since late 2020.
Edward Djan is joining CityNews Winnipeg as a video journalist. A 2023 Toronto Metropolitan University Journalism grad, Djan has been working with Cogeco Connexion in Halton, ON for the last year, as well as gaining experience as a breaking news reporter in the Toronto Star radio room.
Charmaine Straker has been elected as the new Canadian Media Guild (CMG) APTN Branch Secretary Treasurer, joining Branch President Bruce Spence and VP Dennis Rondeau on the Branch Executive. Straker has been an Associate Director with APTN in Winnipeg for the past decade.
Rizwan Jamal has been appointed President and Chief Commercial Officer of Xplore, effective May 1, responsible for the telecom provider’s sales, marketing, and product development. Jamal previously worked at Bell Canada for over 11 years where he most recently served as President, Residential and Small Business. Prior to Bell, he spent 11 years at TELUS in various roles, including Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing.
