MONTRÉAL – Ian Greenberg (above), Astral Media co-founder and BCE board member, passed away yesterday at age 79, Bell announced today.
“Respected as a role model in corporate leadership, media innovation and community service, Mr. Greenberg built Astral, now part of Bell Media, from a photography retailer into an international multimedia leader,” a Bell press release says.
“With the passing of Ian Greenberg, Canada has lost a business visionary and media legend, and we at Bell have lost a wise and affable colleague and friend,” said Gordon Nixon, chair of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada in the press release.
“Ian inspired all of us on the BCE Board with his integrity, insight and optimism about the opportunities ahead for Canadian media, and we will miss him greatly.”
Greenberg and his brothers (Sidney, Harold and Harvey) co-founded Astral in Montréal in 1961.
“As the company began its transition from photography retailer into a global content creator and distributor in the 1990s, Mr. Greenberg assumed the role of CEO and presided over 16 consecutive years of profitable growth before Astral Media’s acquisition by BCE in 2013,” the press release says.
Once BCE acquired Astral, Greenberg joined BCE’s board of directors.
Greenberg was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcaster’s Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2008 (along with his brother Harold, who was posthumously inducted.) He also received the Ted Rogers and Velma Rogers Graham Award in 2007 “for his significant contributions to Canadian broadcasting,” the press release says.
Greenberg was celebrated for his philanthropic work as well. “Mr. Greenberg and his brothers received the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award for their support of a wide range of philanthropic causes,” says the press release. “He was a member of the Business Council of Canada and served as a governor of Montréal’s Jewish General Hospital.”
“I am tremendously proud to have known and worked with Ian Greenberg, a fellow Montréaler, a mentor and an enduring inspiration to me. Partnering with Ian on BCE’s acquisition of Astral Media and the national expansion of Bell Media, I was always impressed by his deep business acumen, natural integrity and warm sense of humour,” said Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell.
“On behalf of the entire Bell team, I extend our deepest sympathies to Ian’s family, friends and everyone fortunate enough to have known him.”
Image borrowed from BCE’s website.
