Service provider Telus has announced three strategic appointments for its Quebec and Atlantic operations in an attempt to enhance its position as a national player.
The Vancouver-headquartered Telus has expanded François Cote’s portfolio to include Telus Ventures. Cote is an Executive Vice President at Telus.
Telus also announced that François Gratton has been appointed President of Telus Québec and Atlantic Canada, and Paul Lepage has been appointed the President of Telus Health and Payment Solutions. The three Montrealers are being recognized for their contributions to the company’s overall success and the increasing importance in the province of Québec.
Telus has been making significant investments over time in the province of Quebec to better position the service provider nationally. Telus currently employs more than 5,500 people in the province. Since 2000, the company has invested $12.3 billion in Québec’s economy and infrastructure development.
Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of Telus, said elevating the executive responsibilities of these three executives demonstrates the company’s commitment to, and the importance of, the Québec market in the organization.
Cote joined Telus in 2008, and he will now assume the management of investments for Telus Ventures on a global basis. Telus Ventures has built an investment portfolio by working with privately-held companies that exploit the convergence of voice, enhanced data, digital media and wireless. Since 2001, Telus Ventures has invested $95 million in 34 companies and has a current portfolio of 14 active companies valued at more than $50 million. In 2012, four Telus Ventures portfolio companies have had successful liquidity events, the most recent being Ruckus Wireless, which listed on the NYSE and generated a more than eight-fold return for the service provider.
Going forward Cote will be tasked to advance Telus investments in the communications sector while increasing investment in the health sector specifically in preventative healthcare.
As for Gratton, his appointment demonstrates the significance Telus places on the Québec market and the growth opportunities that the company is realizing in the Atlantic Canada market, Entwistle said.
Since joining Telus in 2008, Gratton has handled several challenge roles such as Telus Health and the Senior Vice President of Business Markets for Telus Québec.
Gratton will now also has accountability for Telus broadband wireless and wireline services in Eastern Québec, including Optik TV and Internet Haute Vitesse.
Lepage’s appointment as President, Telus Health and Payment Solutions, will see him have increased responsibilities in support of the company’s strategic priority to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Canada’s healthcare system through technology and innovation.
Lepage recently received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his leadership role in the strategic direction that allowed Telus Health to make its mark in the areas of mobile health and remote patient monitoring.