Analyst Predicts Incoming Rogers CEO Joe Natale’s Top Priorities

Rogers’ incoming CEO and former Telus chief executive officer, Joe Natale, is expected to move quickly as he needs to focus on the #1 carrier’s top three priorities: improving wireless subscriber churn, reversing losses in television and reviving dividend growth (via the Financial Post).

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That’s according to BMO analyst Tim Casey, who foresees a busy “first 100 days” for Natale. The former Telus exec wasn’t supposed to start until July, but somehow Rogers managed to negotiate a deal with Telus to allow Natale to start tomorrow.

After looking at Rogers’ performance, Casey says churn rate has been a “sore spot” for the carrier, despite efforts from the previous CEO Guy Laurence, who was fired in October. Rogers’s monthly wireless churn was 1.35% compared to Telus’ 0.95%, the financial statements reveal.

Besides improving wireless subscriber churn, Natale will also need to focus on “reversing competitive losses in video by flawlessly executing the rollout of Comcast’s X1 next-generation video platform”, according to the analyst.
You may recall that Rogers said it would use Comcast’s platform to roll out its next-gen video product, aimed at winning back subscribers. Shaw, which has launched its own IPTv offering recently, says using Comcast’s platform was a good decision, as it has seen an improving subscriber rate.

The analyst also notes that Natale is known for his expertise in customer service, and now with CFO Tony Staffieri (formerly of BCE) and board member elect Robert Dépatie (formerly of Videotron) Rogers has a good team, which can brainstorm changes in areas such as customer service.

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