MONTREAL — With the official retirement of George Cope yesterday, Mirko Bibic stepped into his new position as president and CEO of Bell Canada today. He has also been appointed to the boards of BCE and Bell Canada.
After Cope revealed in June he would be retiring January 5, it was announced the company’s then-COO Bibic would be assuming the role as Bell’s 14th chief executive. Prior to being appointed COO in October 2018, Bibic served as Bell’s executive vice-president of corporate development and as chief legal and regulatory officer. He joined Bell in 2004 as senior vice-president of regulatory affairs.
“We welcome Mirko Bibic as our new chief executive as he leads Bell in delivering all the benefits of the digital communications future to Canadians,” said Gordon Nixon, chair of the board for BCE and Bell Canada, in the news release. “A key leader in every part of Bell’s transformation into Canada’s driver of communications innovation, Mirko has the vision, skills and experience to build on Bell’s strengths as the country’s leading communications company and deliver value for all our stakeholders.”
“It is an honour to lead the Bell team into our 140th year of service to Canadians since our founding here in Montréal in 1880, and we thank George Cope for his leadership in laying such a strong foundation for continued success,” Bibic said in the release. “We look forward to bringing all the opportunities of the new era of integrated digital communications to our customers, communities, investors and employees.”
Bell also announced today the company’s new strategic imperatives: build the best networks; drive growth with innovative services; deliver the most compelling content; champion customer experience; operate with agility and cost efficiency; and engage and invest in its people.
“Bell’s goal is to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world. Our strategic imperatives frame our longstanding strengths in networks, service innovation and content creation, and position the Bell team for continued growth and innovation leadership in a fast-changing communications marketplace,” Bibic said. “The near-instant connections of fibre and upcoming 5G service, and the opportunities represented by IoT, AI and new content platforms, will create unprecedented opportunities for consumers, businesses and communities. The Bell team’s role is to champion customer experience in a new world of communication possibilities.”
Also announced today was the promotion of several Bell executives:
- Blaik Kirby becomes group president, mobility, residential and small business. Previously president of Bell Mobility, Kirby has held a range of senior marketing and executive positions since joining Bell in 2005 as vice-president, corporate strategy.
- Claire Gillies has been promoted to president of Bell Mobility. Previously senior vice-president, retail, Gillies joined Bell in 2000 and has served in progressively senior roles in marketing, sales and channel management, including as president of Bell subsidiary The Source.
- Karine Moses has been promoted to-cice Chair, Québec. Also continuing in her role as president, Bell Media Québec, Moses joined Bell in 1997 and has held senior leadership positions across Bell’s Network, Field Services and Media groups. Moses succeeds retiring vice-chair, Québec Martine Turcotte.
- John Watson becomes group president, customer experience, continuing to lead all customer service and support operations in the execution of Bell’s Champion Customer Experience imperative. Previously executive vice-president, customer operations, Watson joined Bell in 2010 as senior vice-president, operations.
More information about Bell’s executive team can be found here.
