VANCOUVER – On Wednesday, Bell Canada introduced the Bell Champions, a team of nine accomplished Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, who will be national ambassadors for Bell Canada.
Not only will the Bell Champions speak internally and externally, sharing their experiences and their views on what it takes to excel, they will also be the first Canadian athletes invited to participate in the Bell Athlete and Executive Mentoring Program, a new career development initiative from Bell, also announced today.
The athletes will be teamed up with a Bell executive with the goal of preparing them for future careers in business, once their athletic careers end. (And maybe some of the execs will get some training tips…)
Based on their identified areas of professional interest, athletes will be matched with executive mentors with corresponding strengths. This program offers diverse opportunities for mentoring and knowledge-sharing, ranging from general business acumen and leadership to technology and telecommunications.
Bell anticipates that its executive mentors will also benefit from their exposure to athletes accustomed to winning in high performance and highly competitive environments," says the press release.
"I am so pleased to be a member of this high performance team representing Bell," says Charmaine Crooks, five-time Olympian and Bell Champions program mentor, in the release. "Since joining the company I have been inspired by the drive and commitment of the Bell employees with whom I’ve had the opportunity to work closely. These attributes are strongly aligned with the values of the Olympic Movement. "
In addition to speaking at community events, the Bell Champions will provide high-performance motivational sessions to Bell employee groups across the country.
The athletes are:
Crooks, track and field
Alexandre Despatie, diving
Clara Hughes, speed skating
Steve Omischl, freestyle skiing (aerials)
Amanda Overland, speed skating
Chantal Petitclerc, wheelchair athletics
Joannie Rochette, figure skating
Kyle Shewfelt, gymnastics
Adam van Koeverden, canoe-kayak
