“Increasingly, those bets are less about technology, and more on where the technology is taking us. And that’s why, if I define ‘the bet,’ it’s on this view that the world is going to be defined by experiences. And to make that happen, we’ll make whatever bets are required.” (As if to prove his point, the week after our lunch, Rogers purchases fibre-optic provider Atria Networks for $425-million and becomes the first major telecom provider to announce it’s testing advanced 4G wireless networks that will be faster and more capable of handling millions of the next big gadget.) Suddenly, a hostess appears and taps him on the shoulder. He jumps. She whispers in his ear. “Uh oh, what time is it?” he asks.
It's 1:14 p.m. and we are half an hour over a poorly enforced time limit. With effusive apologies, he explains that an auditorium of 150 Rogers employees has been waiting about 15 minutes for him to show up and give a speech. I apologize for violating the edicts of his busy schedule. He's late, but that's okay. Mr. Mohamed’s mind is trained – and valued for – thinking much farther into the future than a measly 15 minutes.
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CURRICULUM VITAE
The man
54 years old.
Educated at the University of British Columbia.
The home life
Lives in Toronto.
Married to Shabin Mohamed; no children.
Hobbies include playing tennis, listening to jazz and watching cricket.
The biography
An Ismaili Muslim from Tanzania who began his career articling at Price Waterhouse in Vancouver, then rose through the ranks of various Canadian telecom companies to succeed Ted Rogers in 2009 as CEO of Rogers Communications.
Has steered Rogers through various challenges to its wireless dominance, and attempted to extend its national influence with various deals, such as buying naming rights to Rogers Arena (formerly GM Place) in B.C.
Favourite artists
Mott the Hoople and Miles Davis.
On the goal of a telecom company
“It's all about making it seamless for our customers, not only across devices, but across platforms. “
On the Canadian telecom market
“There’s going to be more regional competition than national. ... If you look at the next few years – whether it’s Quebec, the West, or Eastern Canada – regional variations and regional marketing will become important.”
