Joe Natale will be able to start his new gig as Rogers Communications president and CEO early – on April 19 – after the carrier was able to reach a confidential agreement with his former employer Telus Corp.
Natale was President and CEO at Telus, where he’d climbed to the top since joining the incumbent carrier in 2003. Natale left Telus after only 15 months in the post. According to one financial analyst at the time, he has a non-compete clause that would have kept him away from a competitor until July 2017. It’s not clear how Rogers resolved that issue with Telus, only that Natale is in the clear to start his new role. He’ll be appointed at Rogers Annual General Meeting next week.
“I’m really excited to join the Rogers team,” said Natale in a press release. “The history of the company, the incredible mix of assets, and the growth potential are second to none. I look forward to working with Alan and the team to build on Ted’s legacy and the incredible progress the company has made.”
Natale was first introduced as the incoming Rogers CEO in October 2016, when Guy Laurence suddenly stepped down from the job without explanation. In the interim period, Rogers chair Alan Horn has been acting president and CEO.
Edward Rogers III, deputy chairman of Rogers Control Trust, welcomed Natale on Twitter.
Finally, welcome to Rogers Joe! Joe Natale to join Rogers April 19, 2017 https://t.co/12eI5e8iVK
— Edward Rogers (@EdwardSRogers) April 13, 2017
Natale departed Telus in October 2015 and was replaced by Darren Entwistle, who had been the CEO previously and remained as executive chairman on the board at Telus since Natale entered the CEO role there in May 2014. The arrangement called for Entwistle and Natale to work with each other as co-CEOs at Telus. At the time of his departure, Telus said Natale’s desire to remain located in Toronto – instead of Vancouver where the Telus headquarters is located – as a factor in his leaving.
