Rogers names Mark Kennedy as chief technology officer, following retirement of Ron McKenzie

Mark Kennedy is Rogers Communications Inc.’s new chief technology officer (CTIO), as Ron McKenzie retires from the role. McKenzie said in a post on LinkedIn last month that he made the decision to retire after more than 40 years in the technology industry. “Being the CTIO of Rogers has been an incredible honour with such a long history of innovation, McKenzie said in the post. “Leading the best technology team in the country, I am so proud of everything we accomplished together — bringing 5G to the TTC subway , completing the first 5G slicing and Cloud RAN trial in Canada, completing the first satellite to cell phone call and earning the recognition of global benchmarking leaders for both our 5G and internet network performance.” McKenzie noted in his post that he will continue on as an advisor to Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri until the end of the year. “Ron has been key to our growth and momentum and under his leadership, Rogers has been recognized by global leaders in network benchmarking as Canada’s most reliable 5G network and Canada’s fastest and most reliable internet,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email. “We thank Ron for his many contributions and wish him all the best in his retirement.” McKenzie wrote that he knows the technology team “is in great hands. “As I leave the key under the mat, my challenge to the next generation is to be bold in your thoughts, lead with passion and continue to drive innovation,” he said. Kennedy is taking on the role of CTIO, leading the teams which design, build, and operate Rogers’ 5G and cable networks. He was hired by Rogers in 2019, last holding the title of senior vice-president of wireless core engineering and national network implementation — a role in which he oversaw the company’s core network, network implementation, and build for Rogers wireless and wireline networks, according to a bio on the company’s website. McKenzie was named to the position two weeks after Rogers experienced a national outage affecting both its home internet and wireless customers, as well as the wholesale-based internet service providers that purchase its services, and after Jorge Fernandes stepped down from the position. According to his LinkedIn page, Fernandes is now chief technology officer at Singtel, a Singaporean telecommunications conglomerate McKenzie had previously served as president of Rogers for Business since June 2021, following a period as its senior vice president of technical operations. From 2009 to 2019, McKenzie worked for Shaw Communications Inc., prior to Rogers’ takeover of that company. There, he was vice-president of Shaw Business, vice-president of Operations, senior vice-president of Business, and finally as chief operating officer. With files from The Wire Report Staff. hdaley@thewirereport.ca

Rogers names Mark Kennedy as chief technology officer, following retirement of Ron McKenzie

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By Hannah Daley
| October 1, 2024

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By Hannah Daley
| October 1, 2024