Company: Company:
About
Mr. Cope has served in public-company chief executive roles in the Canadian communications industry for more than 25 years, earning a reputation as an innovative operational and financial strategist and leader of high-performance teams. Mr. Cope served as President and Chief Executive Officer for BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, the country’s largest communications company, from 2008-2020. Mr. Cope retired from Bell on January 5, 2020. Mr. Cope was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014, inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018 and recognized as: Report on Business CEO of the Year, Corporate Citizen Award (2019), one of Harvard Business Review’s top 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World (2019); Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year (2015); Ivey Business Leader of the Year (2013); Marketer of the Year (1997); and one of Canada’s first Top 40 Under 40 (1996). A graduate of the Ivey School of Business at Western University (HBA ’84), Mr. Cope has also been awarded honorary doctorates by Western, the University of Windsor, Trent University and Queen’s University. He served as Chair of United Way Toronto in 2013, and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for Bell Let’s Talk in 2012 and the Richard Ivey School Distinguished Service Award in 2009. Mr. Cope recently retired from the board of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE). He serves on the board of Brain Canada and is the lead independent director at CGI.
Mr. Cope is a corporate director. Prior to his retirement in January 2020, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, a position he had held since 2008. Mr. Cope was recognized as Corporate Citizen of the Year in the Report on Business CEO of the Year Awards (2019), one of the Top 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World by Harvard Business Review (2019) and as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year for 2015 by the Financial Post. Under his leadership, Bell announced the Bell Let’s Talk initiative in 2010, the largest-ever corporate commitment to Canadian mental health and now one of the country’s most prominent community investment campaigns. Mr. Cope was named Ivey Business Leader of the Year in 2013 and is a past member of the school’s advisory board. He has been awarded honorary Doctorate degrees by his alma mater, the University of Windsor, as well as Trent University and Queen’s University. Mr. Cope was Chair of United Way Toronto’s 2013 campaign, and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work on Bell Let’s Talk. He is Chair of the board of the Bank of Montreal, and serves as a director of its U.S. subsidiary, BMO Financial Corp. Mr. Cope was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014 and was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018. Mr. Cope is a graduate of the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
Personal Details
Title: Mr
Surname: Cope
DoB: 01/01/1962
Age: 64 years
M/F: Male
Nationality: Canada
Country of Birth: Canada
Language: English
Qualification: Doctorate Degree, HBA
Industry:
Qualifications & Experience
Industry Experience +5yrs:
Industry Qualification +5yrs?:
Finance experience +5yrs?:
Finance Qualification +5yrs:
Legal experience +5yrs?:
Delinquent director?:
Other Experiences?:
Collapsed company director?:
Other directorships (state)
(only entities turnover at least $5m p/a)
Working history
Committee/s
| Company | Committee | Role | Appointment Date | Resignation Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMO | Board | Chairperson | 01/01/2006 | |
| BMO | Nominations & Governance | Member | 01/01/2006 | |
| CGI Group | Board | Member | 01/01/2020 | |
| CGI Group | Nominations & Governance | Member | 01/01/2020 | |
| CGI Group | Other | Member | 01/01/2020 |
Independence Questions
Any family members working for the company?:
Are you doing business with the company?:
Do you hold shares in the company for more than 0.10%? (directly or by representation):
Is your Director annual fee more than 5% of your total income from all sources?:
Are you more than 10 years as a director?:
Are you an executive chairperson?: