François-Charles Sirois appointed CEO of Telesystem

MONTREAL, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Charles Sirois, Chairman of the Board of Telesystem, is pleased to announce the appointment of his son, François-Charles Sirois, as Chief Executive Officer. François-Charles has served as President of Telesystem since June 2009.

"François-Charles has played a key role in the investment decisions that have helped Telesystem build a significant group of innovative and successful companies," Charles Sirois stated. "I'm confident that his vision and business acumen will be a major asset to the organization as well as to the partners and entrepreneurs it works with."

"I thank the Board of Directors for their trust and the Telesystem team for their support," said François-Charles Sirois. "I'm even more motivated and determined than ever to create long-term value for the media and technology businesses that we co-own and to position them at the top of their industry in Canada and worldwide. In this regard, Telesystem's core values of respect, integrity and entrepreneurship will be key to achieving our mission to build innovative businesses worldwide."

François-Charles will continue to maintain the excellent business relationships Telesystem has developed over the years with its partners. Moreover, he will oversee the firm's strategic planning activities and operations and seek out opportunities for acquisitions and partnerships, both for Telesystem and for the businesses it co-owns and teams up with. He currently sits on the boards of Telesystem and of the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation and he chairs the boards of the TRIOOMPH Foundation, which he founded.

Over and above the numerous projects and causes close to his heart, Charles Sirois will continue to chair the boards of Telesystem, CIBC and Enablis. He will also serve as co-president of Tandem Expansion's investment committee.

Telesystem was founded in 1984 by Charles Sirois and quickly emerged as the leader in the Canadian wireless market. In the 1990s, Telesystem began developing international markets through Teleglobe, which it acquired in 1992, Microcell, which it established the same year, and TIW, which it co-founded with Ted Rogers in 1994. At the turn of the millennium, given the consolidated market and scarcity of investment opportunities, Telesystem sold all of its telecom assets. By mid-decade, it had chosen to turn its attention toward building innovative businesses. As a result, it has been a driving force behind some of the country's most compelling entrepreneurship success stories, including Stingray Digital, Woozworld and Zone 3. In addition, Telesystem provides support to entrepreneurs and youth through two foundations it created: Enablis and TRIOOMPH. To find out more about Telesystem, please visit www.telesystem.ca

SOURCE Telesystem

Image with caption: "François-Charles Sirois, President and Chief Executive Officer of Telesystem with his father, Charles Sirois, Chairman of the Board of Telesystem. (CNW Group/Telesystem)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120418_C6869_PHOTO_EN_12489.jpg