TELUS further strengthens its presence in Québec

François Côté, François Gratton and Paul Lepage are recognized for their substantial contributions to TELUS' success within Québec and across Canada

MONTREAL, Nov. 27, 2012 /CNW/ - TELUS is pleased to announce that François Côté, Executive Vice President of TELUS has expanded his portfolio to include executive oversight of TELUS Ventures, François Gratton has been appointed President of TELUS Québec and Atlantic Canada, and Paul Lepage has been appointed the President of TELUS Health and Payment Solutions. The three Montreal-based executives are being recognized for their contributions to TELUS' overall success and the increasing importance and level of contribution the TELUS Québec team has on the organization's national strategy.

"Elevating the executive responsibilities of these three accomplished TELUS leaders demonstrates our commitment to, and the importance of, the Québec market in our organisation. As a major employer and industry leader, TELUS is dedicated to building on the hard work and skill of our more than 5,500 current Québec team members and our alumni who have demonstrated the courage to innovate within the communications industry over the past 85 years," said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. "I am confident that François Côté, François Gratton and Paul Lepage will continue to strengthen TELUS' position as a communications leader, not only within Québec, but also on a global basis."

François Côté, Executive Vice President TELUS and Vice-Chair, TELUS Québec, TELUS Health and TELUS Ventures

Since joining TELUS in 2008, Mr. Côté has played a prominent role both in Québec, as President, TELUS Québec, and nationally, as President of TELUS Health and Executive Vice President, TELUS Corporation. In addition to his current executive responsibilities, Mr. Côté will now assume the management of investments for TELUS Ventures on a global basis.

"Since François joined TELUS in 2008, he has played a crucial role in the success of our organisation," said Mr. Entwistle. "His entrepreneurial spirit has helped us tackle many challenges and will be a major asset in his new responsibilities. By bringing his proven leadership and well-honed skills to the TELUS Ventures team, I am confident that he will manage our company's venture investments strategically and effectively."

TELUS Ventures has built an outstanding investment portfolio by working with high-potential, privately-held companies that offer unique technologies and innovative products that exploit the convergence of voice, enhanced data, digital media and wireless. Since 2001, TELUS Ventures has invested $95 million in 34 companies and has a current portfolio of 14 active companies valued at more than $50 million. In 2012, four TELUS Ventures portfolio companies have had successful liquidity events, the most recent being Ruckus Wireless, the Wi-Fi technology pioneer, which listed on the NYSE and generated a more than eight-fold return for TELUS.

Mr. Côté will continue to advance our venture investments in the communications sector while increasing our investment in the health sector, leveraging our best-in-class expertise and reputation as a technology leader focused on preventative healthcare. By strategically and thoughtfully targeting our future venture investments toward the healthcare industry, Mr. Côté will further advance our TELUS Health strategic pursuits while ensuring we consistently realize a strong economic return on our ventures portfolio.

In addition to being active in various causes, Mr. Côté sits on the Boards of the Montreal Heart Institute and Acti-Menu. He is also a member of the Board of Governors for the Fondation de la tolérance and the Executive Committee of the Centre d'exposition de l'Université de Montréal, as well as the Chair of the Board of FitSpirit.

Under Mr. Côté's leadership, TELUS was recently the first organization to be named Philanthropic Company of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Quebec Chapter.

François Gratton, President, TELUS Québec and Atlantic Canada

Mr. Gratton's appointment as President, TELUS Québec and Atlantic Canada, demonstrates the significance TELUS places on the Québec market and the growth opportunities that the company is realizing in the Atlantic Canada market.

"Since joining TELUS in 2008, François Gratton has handled every challenge with aplomb," said Mr. Côté. "François' excellent leadership and strong management skills will ensure the company's growth throughout Québec and Atlantic Canada. He is the perfect executive to carry on the work of our 5,500 team members who have been leaving their mark on the Québec communications industry, building on our proud history of the past 85 years. François will now have the chance to be the face of TELUS in his home province, and I am sure he will do an amazing job."

Shortly after joining the TELUS team, Mr. Gratton progressed from the leadership team of TELUS Health to become the SVP of Business Markets for TELUS Québec. His ability to realize excellent results and build a high-performing team, as well as his admirable professional values and exemplary commitment to giving back to the community, led to the subsequent expansion of his role to include responsibility for supporting the consumer wireless market across the province, the business markets across Atlantic Canada, and the extensive broadband data network that TELUS has implemented for the Government of Québec. In his new capacity, Mr. Gratton now also has accountability for TELUS' broadband wireless and wireline services in Eastern Québec, including Optik TV and Internet Haute Vitesse.

Mr. Gratton sits on numerous Boards, including the Board of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), as well as the Harvard Business School Advisory Board.

Paul Lepage, President, TELUS Health and Payment Solutions

Paul Lepage's appointment as President, TELUS Health and Payment Solutions, serves to ensure the continued progress and bright future for TELUS Health products and services. Paul will have increased responsibilities in support of the company's strategic priority to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Canada's healthcare system through technology and innovation.

"I am very enthusiastic about the future TELUS Health will shape for Canadians, thanks to the continued efforts of Paul and his team," said Mr. Côté. "In this expanded role, Paul will be leading his team to transform the healthcare continuum, from hospital to home, by delivering information technology solutions that allow professionals to deliver better care more cost efficiently and importantly, empower patients to take a greater role in managing their own health and that of their families."

Recognized as a leading Canadian Healthcare IT Company by the Branham Group for five years, TELUS Health has invested more than one billion dollars to bring healthcare information technology to market. The organization leverages innovative technologies and applications to deliver best-in-class solutions including telehomecare, electronic medical and health records, personal health records, pharmacy management services and benefits management services.

Mr. Lepage sits on the Board of Directors for BlueStreak Technology and Montréal InVivo, as well as on the Advisory Board for the Ivey Centre for Health Innovation. Mr. Lepage is Co-chair of the Mental Health Working Group for the Sandbox Project and has received ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mr. Lepage recently received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his leadership role in the strategic direction that allowed TELUS Health to make its mark in the areas of mobile health and remote patient monitoring.

About TELUS in Québec 

A vibrant corporate presence in Québec for nearly 85 years, TELUS currently employs over 5,500 team members in the province. Since 2000, the company has invested $12.3 billion in Québec's economy and infrastructure development. A Canadian industry leader, TELUS offers Québec communities access to state-of-the-art global communication technologies, at home, on the move and in the workplace. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, the company has contributed $30 million since 2005 to support local community organizations in Québec, such as Opération Enfant Soleil, the Dr. Julien Foundation, Les Oeuvres Jean Lafrance and the Association du cancer de l'Est du Québec.

About TELUS Health

TELUS Health is a leader in telehomecare, electronic medical and health records, personal health records, pharmacy management and benefits management. Our solutions give healthcare institutions, regional agencies, healthcare providers and patients the power to turn information into better health outcomes. For more information about TELUS Health, please visit telushealth.com.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.8 billion of annual revenue and 13.0 million customer connections including 7.6 million wireless subscribers, 3.4 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 635,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation