New CEO of Rogers starts in two weeks, reportedly ‘a very hands-on operator’

In just over two weeks, Nadir Mohammed, Rogers President & CEO, will depart the company and be replaced by former Vodafone exec, Guy Laurence.

Little is known about the strategy that Laurence will be bringing to Rogers, but we could see a company shakeup, possible restructuring, or even a breaking down of the corporate walls and axing the “office” workspace.

At an event sponsored by the Bank of Nova Scotia last Thursday, Rogers CFO Anthony Staffieri offered some insight into the man that will be running the Canada’s largest media and telecom outlet. According to the Globe, Staffieri said, “One of the things that Guy brings is depth of experience on the customer experience and customer experience road map. He has very much hands-on experience in having executed leading an organization to get a culture that really is customer first.”

Rogers has recently put forth a number of initiatives with a “customer first” mentality, namely their Rogers First Rewards loyalty program, Fido ‘Check-Ins,’ in-store educational sessions, and dedicated small business service staff.

As Rogers wireless subscriber base continues to grow — though TELUS and Bell are quickly gaining on them — there is still much work that needs to be done. A recent CCTS (Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications) report noted that of all the 14,000 complaints, Rogers had 3,803 complaints (27.78%). It should be also known that Bell led that list with 3,912 complaints (28.56%).

It’ll be interesting to see how Laurence transforms Rogers in 2014 and beyond. If we thought the last few years were competitive with the new entrants, the next several years will be fierce with the upcoming 700 MHz wireless auction, a shifting media landscape, mobile currency and the greater adoption of machine-to-machine (M2M) technology.

Apparently Laurence “brings a lot of energy” and is a “very hands-on operator.” His leadership starts on December 2nd.