BCE congratulates Chair Thomas O'Neill for Award of Outstanding Merit from Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario

MONTREAL, Sept. 20, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today congratulates BCE Chair Thomas C. O'Neill, FCA for receiving the ICAO Award of Outstanding Merit from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) at a gala awards ceremony last evening. CPA Ontario's highest honour, the Award of Outstanding Merit recognizes Mr. O'Neill's contributions both to his profession and to the community.

"It is a great pleasure, on behalf of everyone on the Bell team, to congratulate Tom O'Neill on being recognized with this professional honour," said George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE and Bell Canada. "His leadership in the boardroom and his commitment to community make him an outstanding role model."

Originally from Québec City, Mr. O'Neill graduated from Queen's University before joining Price Waterhouse in 1967. He rose to become Chair of the Board of PWC Consulting prior to his retirement in 2002. Mr. O'Neill joined the BCE Board of Directors in 2003 and became Chair of the Board in February 2009.

Governance honours
Under Mr. O'Neill's leadership, BCE's Board of Directors has been recognized twice this year for excellence in corporate governance. BCE was named the winner of the first-ever award for best overall corporate governance from the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries, awarded for best practices in building and sustaining shareholder and stakeholder value. And the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance gave BCE its Gavel Award, recognizing the company for effective communications with shareholders.

First awarded in 1984, the ICAO Award of Outstanding Merit recognizes service to the accounting profession and community involvement. With only 49 previous recipients, Mr. O'Neill joins a select group of his peers to be recognized in this manner by CPA Ontario, the qualifying and regulatory body for Chartered Professional Accountants in Ontario (www.cpaontario.ca).

About BCE
BCE (TSX, NYSE: BCE) is Canada's largest communications company, providing a comprehensive and innovative suite of broadband communication services to residential and business customers under the Bell and Bell Aliant brands. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital media, including CTV, Canada's #1 television network, and the country's most-watched specialty channels. To learn more, please visit BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national charitable and awareness program promoting mental health across Canada with the Bell Let's Talk Day anti-stigma campaign and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

SOURCE: Bell Canada