TORONTO - Former Bell Canada executive Kelly McDougald has been named the new chief executive officer of the embattled Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
The chairman of OLG's board of directors says McDougald is a seasoned executive with a reputation for "impeccable values.''
McDougald, whose experience also includes working at Nortel Networks, will officially take over Oct. 15 from interim CEO Michelle DiEmanuele, who was appointed by the board in April.
Former CEO Duncan Brown resigned in March just before the province's ombudsman alleged that retailers and "insiders'' had won a disproportionate number of lottery prizes.
Three other OLG vice-presidents and Michael Sharland, the head of security, followed Brown out the door.
The board says McDougald will begin the transition into her new role on Sept. 17.
"On behalf of the board, I would like to extend our deepest thanks to Michelle DiEmanuele, our interim CEO, for doing an extraordinary job during the most difficult and challenging time in OLG's history,'' OLG board chairman Michael Gough said in a release Thursday.
Among McDougald's immediate priorities, the board says she will lead the organization towards achieving the "highest standards of integrity, transparency, accountability and responsiveness,'' as well as attracting and retaining a senior management team.
Since 2005, McDougald has been an independent business consultant and a director of the Allstate Canada Group and the Toronto Board of Trade. The OLG board worked with an executive recruitment firm to fill the job.
DiEmanuele will return to the Ontario Public Service, where she serves as associate secretary of cabinet, secretary to management board, and deputy minister of government services.
The OLG is a provincial agency responsible for Ontario gaming facilities and lottery games. It has revenues of $6 billion and more than 20,000 employees and associates.
