MONTREAL – BCE Inc. announced Tuesday Sean Cohan will assume leadership of Bell Media and join the BCE leadership team on Nov. 1, following the retirement of current Bell Media president Wade Oosterman.
Oosterman, who is also vice-chair of BCE and Bell Canada, will continue in his vice-chair role until early January 2024 “and will provide support to the new President of Bell Media to ensure a smooth transition,” Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, said in a statement.
“On behalf of everyone at Bell I want to thank Wade for his leadership in making Bell a strong competitor in Canadian communications and media. Over the years, Wade has done outstanding work to advance Bell’s Strategic Imperatives, as well as playing a key role in the transformation of Bell Media with a focus on content leadership and digital innovation,” Bibic said.
Oosterman first joined Bell in 2006 as president of Bell Mobility and chief brand officer. He became president of mobility and residential services in 2010, group president in 2015 and vice-chair in 2018.
He took over operational leadership of Bell Media in January 2021, following the departure of former president Randy Lennox.
Oosterman started his tenure as Bell Media president by cutting several senior leadership positions in January 2021, followed by cuts at the director and general manager level later that month and the elimination of several jobs at Bell Media radio and TV stations in February 2021. These cuts were part of Bell Media’s new “streamlined operating structure”, a Bell spokesperson said at the time.
Earlier this year, Bell announced in June 1,300 positions were being cut as part of “organizational changes”, with management and executive roles making up the bulk of the cuts. At the same time, Oosterman told Bell Media employees in a letter the company was closing six AM radio stations and selling off three others.
Incoming Bell Media president Sean Cohan was most recently chief growth officer and president, international, at data analytics firm Nielsen, where he directed strategy, corporate development, partnerships and all international teams and activities, according to Bell’s press release announcing his hiring.
“Sean joins Bell Media having spent decades in media and consumer businesses, including a 15-year tenure at A+E Networks ultimately in the role of President, International and Digital Media. He and his A+E teams are credited with driving global content, digital, and commercial transformation and notable growth across the business,” the release says.
Cohan is a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) causes, according to the release. Savoy Magazine named him to the publication’s “Most Influential Black Corporate Directors” list in 2021 and “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America” list in 2022.
“I look forward to working with Sean as he leads the Bell Media team in delivering the most compelling content across every platform,” BCE CEO Mirko Bibic said in the release. “Sean and his leadership team will be responsible for Bell Media’s portfolio of premier entertainment, news and information assets.”
Cohan will also serve as an executive officer to BCE, the release says.
Photos of (l-r) Wade Oosterman and Sean Cohan borrowed from BCE’s leadership team webpage and Cohan’s LinkedIn profile, respectively.
