Ron Close appointed President and CEO, Pierre Morrissette becomes Executive Chairman
OAKVILLE, ON, May 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Pelmorex Media Inc, parent company of The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, Travelers Network, Beat The Traffic and eltiempo.es, announced today the appointment of Ron Close to President and CEO. He replaces Pierre L Morrissette, the company's founder and controlling shareholder, who has been Chairman and CEO since the company was created in 1989. Morrissette will continue as the company's Executive Chairman of the Board.
"Pelmorex Media Inc. is a family business," said Pierre Morrissette, Founder and Executive Chairman, Pelmorex Media Inc. "I have been planning a transition to a new CEO for over five years. This is one of the most important decisions faced by a Founder. Over two years ago I invited Ron to work closely with Management and the Board as a strategic advisor. So we have had a great chance to get to know each other well. When I learned last year that Ron was available, we both quickly concluded this was a great fit."
The Board of Directors enthusiastically agreed and the management change was announced internally six months ago. This provided ample time for Close and Morrissette to wrap up existing commitments and to plan a seamless transition.
"I am thrilled to have Ron Close as our new CEO," said Morrissette. "He is an excellent leader who shares our values, culture and our results-oriented mindset. We are an entrepreneurial organization which thrives on innovation as a path towards market leadership and Ron's dynamic management style exemplifies these traits. He is a super people-person and a demanding coach who motivates, inspires and challenges individuals and teams to perform at their best."
Close brings a wealth of experience to the role along with a deep understanding of the industry and of the company's vision and strategy for the future. Close has held many executive roles in his career, including President of Bell New Ventures and Co-Founder/CEO of Netcom Canada. In the past five years, he has been the Executive Entrepreneur-In-Residence at The Richard Ivey School of Business as well as Entrepreneur-In-Residence at MaRS Discovery District. Close has been a Director on several boards, including CTVglobemedia, The Globe and Mail and MaRS Innovation.
"I am proud of our accomplishments," said Morrissette. "Our original vision was to create a national media company operating in both languages. Today, we are the undisputed leader in our market category. We connect with more than 20 million Canadians every month across all screens. Ipsos-Reid recently named us the 16th most influential brand in Canada (sixth among Canadian companies). We have been selected one of Canada's top 50 best managed companies seven years in a row. We have assembled an excellent team over the years and we are now exceptionally positioned for future growth."
"I am excited by our future prospects," said Ron Close, President and CEO, Pelmorex Media Inc. "We have a strong foundation, a great team, a clear vision and strategy as well as tremendous opportunities in the pipeline. As one of the leading players in the weather-related services market, we are in an excellent position to expand domestically and internationally."
The company launched its international strategy last year by acquiring eltiempo.es, Spain's leading multi-platform weather-related information service, as well as Beat The Traffic, an advanced navigation and traffic-routing service, based in Santa Clara, California. Pelmorex employs close to 500 people in Canada, the US and Spain. "We have come a long way but I feel confident that we are only getting started," concluded Morrissette. "As we enter our 25th year with a history of consistent growth our future has never looked brighter."
About Pelmorex Media Inc.
Founded in 1989 by controlling shareholder Pierre Morrissette, Pelmorex Media Inc. is the parent company of The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, Travelers Network and Réseau Voyageurs. In July 2012, Pelmorex added eltiempo.es to its lineup, Spain's leading multi-platform weather-related information service. The California-based Beat The Traffic service was acquired in September 2012 to complement Travelers Network, a service dedicated to routing users from point A to B, around the corner or around the globe, via all modes of transportation. Pelmorex is a leader in meeting the information needs of consumers with invaluable content, ease of accessibility, overall quality and a compelling experience on all platforms and also in meeting the weather information needs of commercial and government clients whose success relies on accurate and reliable weather related information. The Weather Network and its French counterpart, MétéoMédia are among the top media brands in Canada and market leaders in the multi-platform digital market including, web, smartphones and tablets. The Weather Network and MétéoMédia television services are in every home via cable, satellite and telco distributors and rank among Canada's most frequently consulted services. Pelmorex has also been licensed to operate Canada's National Alerting Aggregation and Dissemination System (NAADS) which aggregates and distributes emergency alerts issued by authorized government agencies; alerts are made available to the public via broadcasters and distributors as well as via the internet and mobile devices. Pelmorex Media Inc. has been named one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies for seven consecutive years and is one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers for 2012.
Image with caption: "Pierre L. Morrissette, Founder and Executive Chairman, Pelmorex Media Inc. (left) welcomes new CEO, Ron Close (right) to the company on his first day in the new role. (May 1st, 2013) Photo credit: Harish Vasudevasarma (CNW Group/Pelmorex Media Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130501_C2253_PHOTO_EN_26211.jpg
SOURCE: Pelmorex Media Inc.
Stuart Terry
Account Supervisor
High Road Communications
416-644-1376
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Rachel Douglas
Manager, Corporate Communications
Pelmorex Media Inc.
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