Rogers names veteran as media president

Canadian conglomerate Rogers Communications has hired broadcasting industry veteran Rick Brace as its new president of its media division.

Brace is replacing Keith Pelley, who recently announced a move to become CEO and commissioner of golf’s European Tour after five years as president of Rogers Media.

Brace is a 35-year veteran of Canada’s media business, beginning at pubcaster the CBC before co-founding sports channel TSN, and then holding various positions at Bell Media-owned CTV, including president.

At Rogers he will be overseeing a C$1.8 billion (US$1.4 billion) that includes broadcast channel City; local operation of channels such as FX, Bio and OLN; and half-ownership of SVOD platform Shomi.

“Rick is a seasoned business leader with strong operational experience and a passion for the media industry that’s second to none,” said Guy Laurence, Rogers’s president and CEO.

“He’s highly skilled at developing strong teams who perform, so he was the natural choice to tackle the challenges facing the media industry. Rick and Keith will work together with the senior team to ensure a smooth transition.”

“When you look at the mix of assets, the Rogers 3.0 plan and the digital disruption that’s transforming the media industry, this is a tremendous opportunity,” said Brace.

“Keith has done a terrific job repositioning the media business so now it’s my job to use the assets we have and work with the senior team to bring Canadians the content they want, where they want.”