Mohamed received the Order of Canada in 2019 for advancing the country's technology sector.
Nadir Mohamed, former CEO of Rogers and a prominent figure in Canada's entrepreneurial ecosystem, has died.
“Nadir was more than just a business icon. “He was a mentor, a friend and a guiding light in Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Matt Roberts, RBCx
The investor and philanthropist served as chairman of Alignvest Management Corporation and until last year served on the board of directors of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Mohamed died on Thursday at the age of 69 after years of cancer treatment.
Mohamed joined Rogers in 2000. From 2001 to 2005, he served as CEO of Rogers Wireless and then COO of Rogers Communications. He succeeded founder Ted Rogers as president and CEO in 2009 before retiring in 2013.
While he was well known across Canada for his leadership at Rogers, Mohamed was also a key figure in the nation's technology ecosystem. He chaired the board of directors of Metropolitan University of Toronto's (TMU) Digital Media Zone (DMZ), as well as its venture capital arm, DMZ Ventures. He was a founding board member of the Vector Institute in Toronto and Next Canada. As a venture capitalist, Mohamed co-founded Toronto-based ScaleUP Ventures (now known as Climate Innovation Capital).
In 2019, Mohamed received the Order of Canada for advancing Canada's technology sector. Outside of technology, Mohamed has served on the boards of directors of several hospitals and was an advisory board member for the Brookfield Institute for Sustainability.
“Nadir was not only an extremely successful executive, but more importantly, a gentleman,” Kevin Kimsa, general partner at Climate Innovation Capital, wrote BetaKit in an email. “He led with kindness, compassion and respect. He set a high bar for effective, professional leadership at a time when that was not always present.”
RBCx's Matt Roberts told BetaKit that he will never forget when Mohamed interviewed him for a position at ScaleUP Ventures and shared stories about his time managing Rogers. Roberts, who later became a partner at ScaleUP, called Mohamed his mentor.
“Nadir was a tenacious guy who enriched Canada just by being a part of it,” Roberts told BetaKit. “People like him are the reason for our country's success, and I hope we never forget our debt to leaders and mentors like him.”
In an email, Vector Institute board chairman Ed Clark said Mohamed was a “fantastic combination of intelligence, courtesy, caring for people and caring for country.”
“Everyone he spoke to felt heard and important.”
Abdullah Snobar,
DMZ
Members of Canada's technology and business community also took to social media to mourn the news of Mohamed's passing.
“Nadir was more than just a business icon,” Sanjeel Shah, managing partner of Alignvest, wrote in a blog post. Post on LinkedIn. “He was a mentor, a friend and a guiding light in Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Cohere board member and former president Martin Cohn wrote on LinkedIn that he credited Mohamed with several of his career paths, including his introduction to Cohere. He added that Mohamed's influence “extends far beyond his few years on this planet.”
DMZ executive director Abdullah Snobar had known Mohamed since 2007, when he was a student at TMU. He called Mohamed a generous and humble mentor.
“He always took pride in showing Canada at the forefront and tried to contribute wherever he could,” Snobar said. “He was focused on giving people a chance they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
Snobar added that Mohamed continually raised the issue of DMZ's responsibility to support people in the entrepreneurial ecosystem who have historically been underserved, such as founders from immigrant communities like his own.
“It will be important to figure out how we honor this legacy,” Snobar said. “Everyone he spoke to felt heard and important.”
Image courtesy of Rogers