MONTREAL – The man behind most of the Clearnet and then Telus marketing of the past decade – including its signature "future friendly" animal and nature-based ads – Wade Oosterman, has been hired by Bell Canada as president of Bell Mobility and Bell Distribution Inc., as well as chief brand officer of Bell Canada.
Oosterman follows another former Telus exec, George Cope, who was hired by Bell in October of 2005 as president and COO. Ironically, Cope’s departure to Bell caused an executive shuffle at Telus which left Oosterman without a role at the western telco.
It’s long been rumored that Oosterman would follow Cope to Bell (it was the rumor at the Canadian Telecom Summit in June) and Robert Odendaal’s departure from the Bell Mobility post last month left the slot open for Oosterman.
Bell also announced today that Isabelle Courville, president of its Enterprise division, is leaving. In her place, the company has hired Stephane Boisvert, former senior vice-president, global client solutions sales of Sun Microsystems Inc.
He starts Thursday. Oosterman started today.
"We are delighted that these two accomplished individuals will take on the leadership of two of the company’s important business units," said Michael Sabia, president and CEO of BCE Inc. in a release. "Both Wade and Stephane are recognized as leaders in their respective fields with the proven ability to drive profitable growth in their businesses. Their appointments underscore the intensity of our focus on executing our strategy to position Bell as the communications company for the 21st century."
As president of Bell Mobility and BDI, Oosterman will work on profitable growth strategies, enhancing the company’s leadership in wireless products, networks, and customer service for business and consumer customers across Canada.
"His commitment to revenue growth and cost reduction will be key ingredients in accelerating Bell Mobility’s progress in the highly competitive wireless industry," Sabia added. "His unique strengths in delivering innovative products, services, disciplined pricing, and effective distribution structures will make him a major contributor to Bell Canada’s strategy to grow next-generation services."
"Wade is widely viewed as the pre-eminent marketing executive in the Canadian communications industry, and has a recognized ability to infuse a unified and consistent brand in all elements of the company’s operations," added Cope, who was Oosterman’s boss at Telus.
At Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park, California, Boisvert was responsible for the company’s global technical sales force and professional services. During this period he also served as chairman of Sun Microsystems Canada.
"Stephane understands complex technology solutions, new concepts and trends, and how they can have a real impact on customers and their business," Sabia said. "His proven ability to coordinate sales consultants and solutions architects will help Bell work with customers to determine what they really need in terms of information communications technology services. He will also play a significant leadership role for Bell in Quebec," a role that Courville also played.
"Isabelle decided some months ago that she wanted to re-assess her career options and asked us to begin the search for her successor," said Sabia in a separate release.
"All of us at BCE respect the considered approach Isabelle is taking," Sabia said. "In recognition of the significant contribution Isabelle makes to the company, and her future potential, we are offering our full support, including an opportunity in advanced management development this fall at a leading international business school."
"We look forward to continuing Isabelle’s association with Bell."
As President and CEO of the Bell Nordiq Group, Courville led the integration of Telebec and Northern Tel, two telecommunications leaders in Northern Ontario and Québec.
She subsequently spearheaded the creation of Bell Nordiq Income Fund, the first of its kind in Canada’s telecommunications industry, which became a model of service delivery in low density areas.
