BCE Inc CFO Siim Vanaselja To Retire In Q2 2015, Glen LeBlanc Named Successor

(RTTNews) - Canadian communications company BCE Inc (BCE, BCE.TO) and Bell Aliant Inc on Tuesday announced that Siim Vanaselja, chief financial officer of BCE and Bell Canada, will retire in the second quarter of 2015. Glen LeBlanc, currently CFO of BCE affiliate Bell Aliant, will become CFO of BCE and Bell Canada at that time.

"Our succession plan for the CFO role leverages the exceptional executive talent at the BCE group of companies to ensure a smooth transition," said George Cope, president and chief executive officer of BCE and Bell Canada.

Vanaselja will retire after BCE's 2015 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled for April 30, 2015, and before the end of Q2 2015. He will continue to serve on the Board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Following the closing of BCE's privatization of Bell Aliant and until Vanaselja's retirement, LeBlanc will serve as senior vice president, Finance for BCE. As CFO of BCE, he will be located at the company's Montréal headquarters and will maintain an office at Bell Aliant's headquarters in Halifax.

Siim Vanaselja has served as executive vice president and CFO of BCE Inc and Bell Canada since January 2001. He joined the BCE group in February 1994 and has held a range of senior positions, including CFO of Bell Canada International from 1996 to 2001. Named in 2009 to the federal Advisory Committee on Financing by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Vanaselja serves on the boards of TransCanada, Great-West Lifeco and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Glen LeBlanc has served more than two decades of his finance career with Bell Aliant and its predecessor companies. Joining Aliant in 1993, he held increasingly senior executive positions before being appointed vice rresident, Finance and Controller in 2000 and executive vice president and CFO in 2005.

On July 23, 2014, BCE announced it will privatize its Bell Aliant affiliate, which BCE already controlled, by acquiring the interest of public minority shareholders for approximately $3.95 billion. The transaction is expected to close on or about October 31, 2014 and a new regional leader for Bell Aliant will be announced at that time.

Integrated into BCE's national operations, Bell Aliant will continue to serve customers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island from its Halifax headquarters.