Philip Lind was a long-standing member of the Board of Directors of Rogers Communications and company executive.
The OCAD University community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of honorary doctorate recipient Philip Lind on August 20 at the age of 80. A long-standing member of the Board of Directors of Rogers Communications and company executive, Lind worked for Rogers for 54 years and helped build Rogers into the telecom and media giant it is today.
“On behalf of OCAD University, I extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Lind’s family and loved ones,” said Dr. Caroline Langill, Vice-President, Academic and Provost. “I had the honour of meeting him during our Convocation ceremonies in June when he received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his dedication to the arts in Canada and his important work in the telecommunications industry.”
OCAD U Chancellor Jaime Watt also expressed his condolences on the passing of Philip Lind, stating, “Phil had a transformative impact on my life as he did on the lives of so many others. He understood well how he could use his unique position to help more people than it is possible to count across the broadest of spectrums, but especially the arts. Better than anyone I have ever met, he spent not only his capital but his reputational capital to make Canada and the people of Canada better.”
In accepting the honorary doctorate from OCAD U, Lind told the graduating class that art had enriched his life in countless ways – from his involvement with art galleries and art institutions to being a lifelong and avid consumer of many forms of art.
“As someone with a special feeling for those in the visual arts field, I salute you for your career choice,” he said. “I salute all graduates for your dedication and hard work. It is a good feeling to be where you are – filled with expectation and excitement about the next steps.”
He also issued a call to action to large and mid-sized companies in Canada to support the arts so artists can tell more Canadian stories and paint even more Canadian dreams.
“My company, Rogers Communications, has sponsored scores of exhibitions by visual artists across the country and has an enormous investment in Canadian television through the Rogers Group of Funds. But we should be doing more – and so should others,” said Lind. “I do think people have to realize that the arts is just as important to a country as science, technology, engineering and math.”
PHILIP B. LIND
Lind joined Rogers in 1969 as Programming Chief and served as Secretary of the Board and Senior Vice-President, Programming and Planning.
According to the news release issued by Rogers Communications, Lind played an integral role in every major transaction in the company’s history, from the Maclean Hunter deal to the Rogers-Shaw deal. He was a tireless advocate for multilingual, multicultural and specialty programming.
He was also instrumental in the creation of the Rogers Group of Funds and championed Canada’s independent film and television sector. He was the architect and founder of CPAC and the driving force behind the acquisition of both Sportsnet and the Toronto Blue Jays.
He proudly led the company’s growth and cable expansion into the United States. He was also Chair of the Board of the CCPTA (Channel 17, WNED) and a director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Art Gallery of Ontario, U.S. Cable Center, Denver and Albright Knox Foundation Canada.
Lind also served as Chair of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Canada’s leading public gallery devoted to contemporary art, located in Toronto, and was a trustee for the Vancouver Art Gallery from 2011 to 2021.
He sponsored the annual Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize, awarded annually by North Vancouver’s Polygon Gallery to an emerging B.C.-based artist working across the mediums of film, photography or video.
Lind obtained a BA (Political Science and Sociology) from the University of British Columbia and an MA (Political Science) from the University of Rochester. In 2002, he received an honorary degree from the University of British Columbia and in 2016, he was awarded the UBC Alumni Award of Distinction. In 2002, Lind was appointed to the Order of Canada. In 2012, he was inducted into the U.S. Cable Hall of Fame, the third Canadian to be so honoured.
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