Second wave of reshuffling in Bell with departure of six senior managers

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A sweeping restructuring of Bell Media's senior ranks continued Wednesday with the arrival of a new deputy to its sales arm and the departure of six senior managers with decades of combined experience at the company.

Bell, which is owned by BCE Inc., brought in new blood by hiring Mark Finney as its vice-president, strategic sales. He previously worked at The Guardian newspaper and for Star Media Group at Torstar Corp., where he oversaw sales and helped prepare the Toronto Star's forthcoming tablet app, Star Touch.

A changing of the guard was also evident in the departures of two senior vice-presidents and three vice-presidents, as well as Discovery Channel president and general manager Paul Lewis, who had been with the network since 1994.

The changes are the second wave of a reshuffling in Bell Media's management, driven by president Mary Ann Turcke, who took the helm in April. As the company tries to respond to an array of pressures eating into revenues across the media landscape, it is looking to get leaner and smooth the lines of authority that had grown complicated owing to mergers, such as the acquisition of Astral Media in 2013.

As Mr. Finney joins the sales team, Lesley Conway, who arrived as part of the Astral deal, leaves her role as senior vice-president, sales. Paul Rogers, the senior vice-president of CTV News, is also out, having worked at the network since 2002.

The three vice-presidents let go are 12-year veteran Erin Sinyard, who oversaw finance, reporting, planning and capital; Gianni Di Iorio from revenue management and research; and Mario Clément, who was in charge of content for Quebec.

"All of the leaders departing today have had a meaningful impact on Bell Media," Ms. Turcke said in an internal memo, obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Four other existing managers were promoted or given expanded roles, including Joanne MacDonald, who was named vice-president, CTV News, overseeing the network's Toronto coverage as well as CP24.

The continuing reorganization has moved out several prominent figures from Bell Media's older guard, including Phil King, the once-influential president of CTV, sports and entertainment, who departed two weeks ago. Some had been close colleagues of Kevin Crull, Ms. Turcke's predecessor as president, who was dismissed in April after The Globe and Mail revealed he had tried to intervene in CTV's news coverage.

In her statement, Ms. Turcke reiterated that the moves are part of a "plan to re-energize Bell Media," promising another round of promotions and departures affecting the next layer of management on Oct. 1.