Newspaper & Mailroom
Quebecor Media Announces the Integration of Canoe Into Sun Media
Wednesday 13. May 2009 - Quebecor Media announces the integration of Canoe into Corporation Sun Media, the country's largest newspaper publisher with nearly 250 publications, including the Journal de Montreal, Toronto Sun, Calgary Sun, 24 h Vancouver and London Free Press.
This integration reflects Quebecor Media’s determination to seize the opportunities available on the new media landscape by combining assets from its Internet and newspaper operations.
The new multimedia company will allow Quebecor Media to move another step forward in rolling out its new business model, designed to generate innovative and fruitful synergies within its multidisciplinary teams so that customers may take full advantage of the digital world. “Our business environment changes constantly and quickly. The current reality dictates that we must always be reinventing ourselves, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today. The integration of Canoe into Sun Media will optimize the strategic alignment and efficiency of the operations by providing strong, unified leadership and will accelerate our multimedia evolution, in particular by eliminating organizational silos that have become obsolete in the multi-platform era,” said Quebecor Media President and Chief Executive Officer Pierre Karl Peladeau.
Brands that are even stronger
According to Mr. Peladeau, Quebecor Media’s properties and brands will grow even further as a result of the superb sharing of expertise made possible by this integration.
“As an Internet leader in Canada and a local and national interactive media provider of news and entertainment websites, Canoe will bring an invaluable wealth of knowledge and complementary instincts to the Sun Media team. Similarly, with its experience as the largest newspaper publisher in Canada and as a content manager, the Sun Media team will offer considerable value added to Canoe. In fact, this marriage will allow all of us to get the most out of both worlds and to better meet the needs of readers of our newspapers and visitors to our portals.” The Canoe.ca brand and portal, as well as the jobboom.com, micasa.ca, autonet.ca, espacecanoe.ca, classifiedextra.ca, canoe.tv, canoeklix.ca and reseaucontact.com brands, will remain in place and the Canoe team will continue to support the various Internet initiatives of Quebecor Media’s subsidiaries.
The strength of two industry leaders
There will be a new management team made up of senior executives from both organizations under the direction of Pierre Karl Peladeau, who will continue to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Media.
Finally, Bruno Leclaire, who held the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer of Canoe and Vice-President, Interactive Media Division of Quebecor Media, will take a well-earned break for a few months starting at the end of May, but will continue to discuss different mandates with Quebecor Media management. “We strongly hope that we can count on Bruno’s talent and vision for other projects that our group will undertake in the future. Without a doubt, Bruno has been a major asset to the Quebecor Media management team for the last nine years.
He made it possible for all of our organization’s components to make an energetic leap to digital and multimedia, and to get involved in interactivity. Through his leadership, he gathered the most talented people in the industry around him. I thank him personally for his outstanding contribution,” added Quebecor Media’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
For his part, Bruno Leclaire noted, “I joined the ranks of Quebecor in 2000 when I was an entrepreneur and had just founded Jobboom. Throughout my journey here, I’ve been motivated by the entrepreneurial culture that is fostered at Quebecor. The company’s ability and willingness to take risks, as well as its boldness, continue to fascinate me today. I thank Pierre Karl for the confidence he has shown in me throughout our years of working together, and I take pride in leaving my ‘offspring’ in such fine health and with such a good team supporting it. I was very fortunate to be able to develop this venture with such a solid, creative, innovative team of managers and employees.”
Referring to the profound changes the media industry is undergoing, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebecor Media expressed enthusiasm about the new organization. “Today, we are combining the strengths of two industry leaders. Pooling their assets, expertise and energy can only result in a winning combination for our customers,” concluded Mr. Peladeau.