Melinda Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers are retiring from the Rogers Board of Directors, the company announced Wednesday.

The two women’s departures were part of a private settlement between Rogers family members, the telecom giant added in a written statement.

Rogers-Hixon is departing as deputy chair of the board after holding various roles at her family’s company since 2002. Martha Rogers is leaving her role as chair of the company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) committee, after joining the board in 2008.

The development follows years of corporate drama within the billionaire family over control of the company.

In a Wednesday statement, the two sisters suggested that tension within the family has “settled.”

“With our family differences now settled, we both believe this is the appropriate time to retire from the Rogers Communications board,” the Rogers sisters said in a written statement.

“We remain proud and committed shareholders of the company and look forward to supporting its success in the future. In the words of our late father, the best is yet to come.”

Board chair Edward Rogers thanked his sisters on Wednesday for their service to the company.

“I want to thank Melinda and Martha for their numerous contributions to our company over many decades,” he said in a written statement.

“Their dedication to Rogers Communications has been integral to the company’s growth and is reflected in the passion with which our employees serve our customers across Canada every day.”

 

FAMILY CONFLICT

Both sisters had previously vocally opposed moves by their brother Edward to gain more control of the board.

Last year, Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers filed a court petition alleging the company had been “oppressive” towards them, contending they had been frozen out of important meetings and blocked access to key information about the business.

Rogers responded at the time by calling the legal complaint “without merit.”

 

REPLACEMENTS WILL BE ‘LOYAL TO EDWARD’: PROF

Richard Powers, national academic director of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, wasn’t surprised by Tuesday’s developments, given the disagreements over company control between Melinda, Martha and Edward.

Their departure means the Rogers board may have lost voices of dissent from Edward’s positions that are unlikely to be replaced, he added.

“Their position on a board that's heavily dominated by their brother Edward was always going to be an issue and particularly when their latest lawsuit or latest concerns over whether they were getting equal access to information that the rest of the board was getting,” he told BNNBloomberg.ca in a telephone interview.

“It was going to come to a head at some point and this is probably the best way forward for the two women.”

Powers said he doesn’t believe the changes are in the board’s best interests.

“I think both Melinda and Martha were independent voices on that board, although they're family members,” he said.

“They certainly didn't agree with their brother and having that healthy dissension on the board, I think can be good. We've lost that.”

Powers believes the two missing board seats could one day be replaced, but they’ll be “loyal to Edward.”

With files from Bloomberg News