Rogers Communications has decided to appoint a new chief technology officer, handing the reins to an experienced telecommunications executive, Ron McKenzie, after the nationwide blackout earlier this month.

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He will therefore be responsible for the systems that support nearly 12 million customers, the Globe and Mail reported on Thursday.

“Rogers can confirm that Jorge Fernandes will step down from his role as Chief Information and Technology Officer. Effective immediately, Ron McKenzie becomes Chief Technology and Information Officer,” a company spokesperson confirmed in an email to the media.

Mr. Fernandes had worked in the telecommunications company for more than four years after leaving the Vodafone group.

Mr. McKenzie previously held the position of President of Rogers for Business, the branch that offers services to companies. With Rogers for three years, he was responsible for the company's technological transformations during the pandemic. The new director had also been a member of Shaw's management team for about ten years.

Recall that the outage of several hours of Internet and telephone service on July 8 had serious repercussions for Rogers, including a review by the federal government and new challenges for the acquisition of Shaw Communications.

Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri then apologized for the outage and pledged to make changes to ensure it never happens again.