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Wi-LAN Inc. makes big changes to its executive team. Late last month, the company announced the appointment of Bill Dunbar as president and CEO replacing Sisso El-Hamamsy. The Calgary company also revealed that Hatim Zaghloul would remain as chair of the board of directors, but would no longer have any executive responsibilities. Dunbar has 40 years experience in the telecommunications industry, both domestically and on the international scene. A week after being replaced as president and CEO, El-Hamamsy returned to the company as senior VO corporate, responsible for educating current and potential customers, investors and other stakeholders regarding Wi-LAN’s products, markets and technologies. Bell Canada has several key executive changes since the departure of Michael Neuman as president of Bell Mobility and Bell Distribution Inc. He played a key role in the evolution of Bell Mobility, including spearheading the formation of a joint venture with British mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile. He also championed the company’s foray into push-to-talk services. Robert Odendaal takes the reins at Bell Mobility in addition to his current position for Bell’s video services group. Alek Krstajic, formerly the chief marketing officer in the consumer group, will become president of Bell Mobility, responsible for delivering on the 2005 operating plan. Kevin Krull has been appointed as president of consumer solutions. He was most recently senior VP of enterprise wireless at AT&T in the United States. Ron Close has been chosen to head Bell Canada’s new VoIP unit. He is a former AT&T Canada executive with extensive telecommunications and Internet experience. André Monette has been appointed CFO of C-Chip Technologies Corp. He is a veteran of the financial services industry having served for 17 years as VP finance and administration for the North American subsidiary of Lombard Odier Group. Most recently, he was operational risk manager for the Caisse de Dépôt et du placement du Québec. Richard DeLand French has been appointed as a full-time member designated VP chair of the CRTC. Rita A.P. Cugini has been named as full-time member and representative of the Ontario region of the CRTC. French has worked at senior management positions at Bell Canada from 1989 to 1995. He was VP and dean at Bombardier Transportation Leadership Centre in Berlin Germany from 2002 to 2003, and was president and CEO of Tata Communications Ltd. in Hyderabad, India from 1996 to 1999. He served as Quebec provincial communications minister from 1985 to 1988. Cugini has been associated with Alliance Atlantic Communications Inc. since 1996. From 1993 to 1996, she was VP and station manager of Telelatino Network Inc., and was director of diversity programming at CFMT-TV from 1989 to 1993. Mike Ansley has been appointed VP worldwide sales and support at Redline Communications, responsible for all activities relating to global sales, including direct and indirect sales channels as well as technical services and sales engineering support. Prior to joining Redline, he spent nearly nine years as Cisco Systems Inc. where he gradually moved up the ranks beginning with account management and regional sales management. Most recently, he was VP of sales and marketing at NodeLogic Networks. Nortel Networks Corp. appears to be readying for a changing of the guard. The company announced on Friday, March 4 that it had appointed former Cisco Systems Inc. executive Gary Daichendt as president and COO, effective March 14. That date will also see Bill Owens, currently president and CEO, become CEO and vice-chair of the board of directors. Also effective March 14, Pascal Debon, currently president of carrier networks, will assume the role of special advisor to the vice-chair and CEO. According to analysts this position is usually reserved for executives who are on their out of the executive offices. Peter Currie, who became CFO on February 14, will add the executive VP title effective March 14. Daichendt, previously executive VP worldwide operations at Cisco, was one of the key executives in charge of the company during the 1990s when the company experienced significant international expansion.

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News | 03/08/2005 5:00 am EST

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