As BAI Communications in Canada continues its focus on growth, it has appointed three key executive roles within the business – Chief Executive Officer – and two new roles – Vice President, Smart Transit and Infrastructure, and General Manager, Business Development, Municipalities and Government Relations.
Global technology executive Don Morrison, who has been in the role of executive chairman in Canada since November 2019, has accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 July. During his time with BAI, Don has been instrumental in identifying and driving growth opportunities for the business and the shift into the CEO position is a testament to his confidence in BAI’s success.
Don’s extensive experience in accelerating business growth strongly aligns with BAI’s strategic direction. ”The telecom industry is entering a phase of growth unlike anything we have seen in the last century. This is an exciting time to be part of BAI as it plans and implements new services to our customers both here in Canada and around the globe,” said Don.
Don has appointed two new executive roles to help execute the Canadian team’s business objectives.
Ian Gallagher has joined BAI Canada as Vice President, Smart Transit and Infrastructure. With over 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications and technology sectors, most recently with Cisco Systems, Ian will be instrumental in helping BAI build a strong and sustainable transit business. Ian will also help build out BAI Canada’s digital infrastructure business with new potential partners.
Upon joining BAI, Ian said “With the transit and transportation industries on the brink of multiple technological disruptions happening simultaneously over the next decade, the need for smart sensing, connectivity and analytics is about to grow at an unprecedented rate. Access to efficient, safe, affordable, reliable, and clean transportation is driving innovation across the spectrum from individual commuters to large-scale shipping and logistics companies. Whether it is building and maintaining the infrastructure to support these technologies or delivering full-stack solutions that deliver business outcomes to transportation clients and partners, our opportunity is enormous. I’m very excited to join BAI Communications, and look forward to the journey ahead.”
Joining Ian is another local senior industry executive, Michael Stephens. Michael has accepted the role of General Manager, Business Development, Municipalities and Government Relations and will be taking the lead in identifying modernisation opportunities, smart city initiatives and building trusted relationships with different levels of government, particularly focusing on municipalities. Most recently, Michael drove the strategic and tactical municipal execution for one of Canada’s major telecommunications companies.
“Smart City requirements and the densification of telecom networks with 5G small cell deployments is forcing municipalities to re-evaluate their role in the management of telecom infrastructure. As an independent service provider, BAI Communications is well placed to support the municipalities in evaluating their requirements, and to work with them to build the infrastructure required to ensure their constituents have access to the next-generation of connectivity and services. I am excited to join BAI to assist municipalities in this journey,” said Michael.
BAI in Canada
BAI secured a 20-year licence agreement in 2012 to deliver connectivity to the Toronto subway, with an option for an additional five years. The deployment uses independent communications infrastructure in which BAI invests in, owns and operates, generating revenue for the TTC. BAI also provides free Wi-Fi access to TTC underground passengers and is using its network to provide IoT solutions and data driven insights to the TTC and City officials.
