WHILE BRAD SHAW is now CEO of a much different Shaw Communications than the one his father JR and brother Jim built and ran, one aspect hasn’t changed.
No handlers.
As a journalist, I’ve interviewed many CEOs and other senior executives at large corporations. Most of them come to interviews with one or two others in tow who keep tabs on the interview or have other tasks. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not the way the Shaws do things. Never been their style. When a reporter calls the company with a question, invariably the president or CEO is the one calling back.
For many companies, and especially one the size of Shaw Communications, that’s pretty rare. But for a reporter, it’s always better to get an answer from the person in charge.
Our hour-long chat with new CEO Brad Shaw on Monday reflected that ethos. It was just he and I in a Toronto hotel lobby and it’s very likely none passing by knew the fellow in the jeans and stylish shirt (no tie, no jacket) was the CEO of the largest media and distribution company in the country. Then the next day, after giving his talk at the Broadcast Executives Society luncheon, Shaw waited with the rest of us at the coat check before heading off.
For some CEOs, standing on line like that, too, is rare.
The Shaws and their executive team have often said they like to run a lean organization so they are as close to the customer as possible. While that hasn’t changed with the new Shaw (pictured) at the helm – a 46-year-old father of four and minor hockey coach – the company and the media marketplace in which it operates is a far more complex beast than anything Brad’s father and brother had to deal with.
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