George A. Cope | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1961-07-28)28 July 1961 (age 63) |
| Education | University of Western Ontario (BBA, 1984) |
George Alexander CopeCM (born 28 July 1961) is a Canadian businessman, and the former CEO ofBell Canada.
Cope was born inScarborough,Ontario and grew up inPort Perry.[1] Cope's father played for a short time for theToronto Argonauts, after which he ran gas stations and rustproofing shops. Cope's mother ran a store that sold fabrics.[1] Cope attendedPort Perry High School[1] and played on the high school's basketball team and was also student council president. He earned aBachelor of Business Administration degree with honours in 1984 from theIvey Business School atWestern University.[2]
Cope was named CEO of Bell[citation needed] at the age of 53 as part of a proposed thirty five billion dollarleveraged buyout led byProvidence Equity and the Ontario Teachers'Pension Fund in 2008.[3] Due to the credit crunch and the ensuingfinancial crisis of 2007–08, however, the buyout was cancelled. He led a competitor,Telus Mobility, before becomingPresident at Bell in 2005. He previously ranClearnet, a wireless company that was bought by Telus in 2000.[3]
In 2010, Cope led the launch of the Bell Let's Talk Initiative,[4] a major corporate campaign to improve mental health in Canada, for which he receivedThe Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.[citation needed]
In June 2019, BCE announced Cope will retire in January 2020, at which point COO Mirko Bibic will become CEO.[5] Over the past 10 years, under Cope's leadership, company profits tripled to $3.05 billion.[6]
Cope sits on the board ofMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and was instrumental in the firing ofToronto Maple Leafs general managerBrian Burke after BCE acquired MLSE.[7] As of 2015, Cope is also a member of the Richard Ivey School of Business Advisory Board at Western University and a member of the Business Council of Canada.[2]
Cope was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2015. He was also listed as one of Canada's top-paid CEO's byThe Globe and Mail in 2014.[8]
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