One of Rogers Communications Inc.’s newest board directors said it’s time for the company's senior ranks to get back to work after a tumultuous couple of months for the telecom giant.
“Right now, I think the focus is to run the business properly and I think everybody is focused and has a shared view to do that,” said Michael Cooper, chief executive officer of Dream Office REIT, in an interview Monday, although he stressed that he wasn’t a designated spokesperson for Rogers.
Cooper was one of the five directors that Edward Rogers, chairman of the telco and the trust that controls almost 98 per cent of Rogers’ voting shares, fought to have installed on the board in a battle that spilled out into public view.
“[Rogers has] been going through somewhat of a crisis and the most important thing is to get back to work. It’s great to see people are doing that,” Cooper said.
The battle that led to two boards of directors claiming to be the rightful overseers of Rogers Communications ended with the B.C. Supreme Court validating Mr. Rogers’ overhaul on Friday.
Rogers said in a statement Sunday that it would not appeal the court’s decision.
The legal battle and confusion over who exactly was running Canada’s biggest wireless operator led to questions over whether the turmoil could jeopardize its planned $20-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc.
Now, with the boardroom uncertainty put to bed, one RBC analyst said in a note to clients Monday that he believes the Shaw deal can now proceed “unencumbered.”
“I would say that [Rogers is] a very important company in Canada, as is Shaw,” Cooper said. “It’s great to see the stock recovering and the Shaw deal is very important.”
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