By Connie Thiessen
Corus Entertainment has announced that Telus marketing exec Christopher Mercer is joining the company as Barb McKergow, senior vice president of advertising, gets set to retire this fall.
McKergow started her broadcast sales career with WIC (Western International Communications) in 1992, focused on national sales. She joined Canwest Mediaworks in 2000, moving on to Shaw Media for the next 14 years, where she ended her time as head of marketing ventures. She officially joined Corus in 2019 as SVP of national advertising revenue, holding the title of SVP of advertising sales for the past year, overseeing all advertising sales, revenue management, research, advanced advertising and data teams.
Mercer will take on the role of senior vice president of media sales and solutions, effective Sept. 3. He most recently held the title of vice president of marketing and revenue for Telus Health Care Centres, moving with Lifeworks’s acquisition by Telus in 2023. Prior to that, he held roles with AutoTrader.ca, Bell MTS, and Rogers Communications, where he held a series of marketing roles, including VP of marketing for The Shopping Channel (TSC).
Corus says McKergow will stay on to support the transition until mid-October.
“I am thrilled to welcome Christopher as Senior Vice President, Media Sales and Solutions,” said Corus CEO John Gossling, in a company announcement. “As we look ahead to our exceptional fall schedule, Christopher’s track record of growth and innovation in media, combined with the skills and commitment of our teams, will help us, and our clients, drive growth and results.
“I also want to thank Barb for her many contributions over her long and successful career at Corus, which include building deep relationships within our company, with our clients and throughout the industry,” added Gossling. “While we will miss Barb’s energetic leadership, we are happy for her as she embarks on the next phase of her career.”
