Ian Bell
Ian believes the best leaders never stop growing their businesses, people, and most importantly, themselves. “As leaders grow, the capacity of their business and the people they lead grows with them”. Drawing upon his experience leading and building businesses that complement his formal training in change management, Ian’s primary goal, as a TEC Chair, is to help leaders grow.
Ian has developed and successfully applied his leadership and business-building skills across a wide range of industries including: consumer packaged goods, technology, energy, entertainment, health care and outsourcing. Starting his business career with Procter & Gamble gave Ian classic packaged goods training in strategic planning, marketing and sales, along with a passion for new product development. At Apple Computer, this background laid the groundwork for the successful launch of the legendary Macintosh personal computer and 37 other products, along with the creation of advertising and retail marketing programs that Apple adopted worldwide. It also helped Ian lead the successful repositioning of Esso’s $1.2 billion gasoline business for which he received the prestigious Chairman’s Award at Imperial Oil Ltd.
Having honed his management skills in a host of “blue chip” organizations, Ian discovered his passion for entrepreneurial businesses by taking a key leadership role in the successful turnaround of The Movie Network™ and re-launch of a hi-tech product for offshore venture capitalists. More recently, Ian led the start-up of a new operating division for a Canadian foodservice company, growing revenues to $70 million in five years before selling the business for nearly 30 times EBITDA. And subsequently, as CEO of a major health care service provider, Ian took a stagnant business and quickly engineered 21percent growth in volume while overseeing a $30 million capital expansion program.
Through his experience with fast-paced businesses, Ian became acutely aware of the unique demands these situations place on a leaders’ ability to manage change. Targeting change management as an area for professional and personal growth, Ian earned his post-graduate degree in Organization Development from American University in Washington, D.C. There, he learned the power of high-performing teams and value of experiential learning with peers, which Ian believes is the foundation for TEC (The Executive Committee) Ltd. “TEC’s founders were years ahead of their time when they realized that by working together, CEOs could help each other build their businesses. This gives TEC Members a distinct competitive advantage over those CEOs who work alone.”
In his free time, Ian is an avid cyclist who enjoys riding in Europe, and a former “Legends” class snowboard racer with three Top 15 finishes at the U.S. Amateur Snowboard National Championships. He and his wife, Moira, are particularly proud of their four children, each of whom has represented Canada internationally in athletics. Ian is also a founding Board Member of the Healing Cycle Bike Club, which is affiliated with the Healing Cycle Foundation for palliative care unit of Credit Valley Hospital.
