Rogers may be nearing the end of its search for its next CEO. Following the announcement in February that Nadir Mohamed, the current President and CEO, would retire in January 2014, the company began an international search for his successor. By last month, it reportedly had a short list that included executives from TELUS, AT&T and Guy Laurence, Vodafone UK’s CEO. According to The Globe and Mail, Laurence is now the front-runner to replace Mohamed.
Laurence is known as a turnaround specialist. Under his leadership, Vodafone got a dramatic overhaul that included not only deep cuts but also cultural changes that saw the elimination of executive offices and the company dress code as well as a renewed focus on customer satisfaction.
“I don’t believe in offices,” he told a British newspaper in 2011. “We decided to rewrite the way we worked. A lot of the Western way of working is broken and old-fashioned. It’s the tyranny of the office. We said we were going to break every rule we felt was no longer relevant to Generation Y. That’s how it started. Now it’s become a way of life for us.”
While Rogers, which employs more than 26,000 people, may not be in need of such a dramatic turnaround, it is nonetheless facing a number of challenges as key markets are quickly changing. On the wireless side, the Canadian government is looking to increase competition by encouraging the establishment of a fourth national carrier, possibly a foreign player. Meanwhile, the growing popularity of streamed video content is a concern for the cable group.
Rogers has yet to finalize its decision but it sounds like an announcement is not too far off now.
Source : The Globe and Mail