Year Born: 1947
Year of Induction: 2006
Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Morrissette, Pierre (1947- )
Pierre Morrissette was born and raised in Montreal. He earned a Bac helors Degree in Economics from Loyola College in 1968, before completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Richard Ivey School of Business, in 1972.
Pierre began his career in the banking sector, but in 1977, as he had been closely involved in communications, he became Vice-President of Finance at Télémédia Communications Inc., and then rose to the position of Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of the company from 1979 to 1982. He was subsequently President of Télémédia Ventures in 1983 and of Canadian Satellite Communications (CANCOM) from 1983 to 1989. Under his leadership, CANCOM became a public corporation and distributor of TV signals by satellite to remote areas across Canada.
In 1989, Pierre Morrissette founded his own communications company, Pelmorex Media Inc., and acquired several French and English language radio stations that were serving various small and medium-size markets in northern Ontario.
In 1993, Pierre provided a big boost to his company when he purchased MétéoMédia and The Weather Network, where he played a key role in radically transforming how weather information was collected, as well as its accuracy, by making use of the most up-to-date technology. With facilities in Montreal and Oakville, and a staff of about 350 employees, these two companies developed one of the most loyal viewing audiences among the specialty networks. These television services were complemented by Web sites and wireless services.
In addition to these activities at Pelmorex, Pierre has sat as Chair of the Meteorological Service of Canada Advisory Board, as a member of the Richard Ivey School of Business Advisory Board, and as a member of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at the aforementioned university.
Pierre Morrissette was inducted into the CAB Hall of Fame in 2006.