Rogers Communications Family Feud Pits Mom Against Son

Rogers Communications Inc reiterated support on Sunday for Chief Executive Joe Natale following attempts by former Chairman Edward Rogers to remove him from the Canadian company, according to Reuters.

"We unequivocally support Joe Natale as CEO and support his management team," Rogers said in a statement.

The Board is comprised of Jack Cockwell, Michael Cooper, Robert Dépatie, Ivan Fecan, Robert Gemmell, Alan Horn, Jan Innes, Jack Kerr, Philip Lind, Joe Natale, Edward Rogers, Loretta Rogers, Melinda Rogers-Hixon, and Martha Rogers.

Loretta Rogers

Bloomberg reports Loretta Rogers, the matriarch of the Rogers family, said in a statement Sunday that the board meeting her son intends to hold is illegitimate. She said the board remains constituted under John MacDonald as chair despite her son’s insistence that it was revamped through a written shareholder proposal Friday. 

“Edward unfortunately continues to proceed down a misguided and miscalculated path which leads nowhere productive and puts his own interests ahead of those of Rogers employees, customers and shareholders,” Loretta Rogers said in an emailed statement. “He should stop immediately, as his behavior simply serves to underscore his seemingly wanton disregard for good governance.”

Edward’s sister, Martha Rogers, has been on Twitter throughout the weekend trying to discredit her brother’s attempt to take control of the board.

Edward Rogers

“Like in a bad movie, Ed & his Old Guard literally meet in dark boardrooms,” she said in a tweet Sunday. “All men. All white. All old. They think they are masters of the universe instead of thinking about the impact their instability is causing tens of thousands of people.”

Rogers' board last Thursday voted out Rogers, son of the late founder, Ted Rogers, after he tried to replace Natale with another executive. The move put him at odds with his sisters and mother, all of whom are fellow board directors and said they supported Natale. read more

The company also said no other individuals had the authority to act as the board of Rogers after the ousted chairman tried to reconstitute the board by removing the directors who acted against him and replace them with his own candidates.

"We remain as duly elected members of the Rogers Communications Inc Board and represent the majority of the Board members of the company," the board members said in the statement.