SaskTel CEO to retire, continue as consultant
The president and CEO of SaskTel is retiring after nearly 40 years as a public servant.
As of July 1, Ron Styles will no longer be serving in the job he has held since 2010.
According to a government news release, Styles will continue as a consultant for the government.
He said his decision to step down from SaskTel after seven years was a combination of things and that he has no immediate plans to take on another job.
“Definitely not at a point where I think my career is over, I just want to take a look at some different options,” he said, adding he typically has sought new challenges after seven or eight years in a position.
SaskTel has been a focal point of political debate in the province during the past two years, prompted largely by a new law in Saskatchewan that allows up to 49 per cent of a Crown corporation to be sold off.
That, coupled with musings last year by Premier Brad Wall about potentially selling the public telecom company, have led many to believe the privatization of SaskTel is imminent.
Styles said any partial sale of the Crown is in exploratory stages, and maintained the focus on the subject had nothing to do with his decision to exit SaskTel.
“No, not in any way. You know, the same issues, a lot of the same issues that have been there for SaskTel to address in the past are continuing on,” he said, adding those challenges include dealing with federal regulations and questions about maintaining SaskTel’s long-term future.
Styles spent nearly four decades in senior Saskatchewan government roles.
He previously served as president of Crown Investments Corporation, deputy minister of finance, deputy minister of highways and transportation, president of SaskWater, president of SaskHousing, and senior roles at Municipal Government and Community Services.
“Ron has been an advocate for SaskTel, championing the Crown’s vision of being the best at connecting people to their world,” SaskTel board chairman Grant Kook said in a statement. “He has spent his career working for the good of the province. I want to thank him for all that he has done during his tenure at SaskTel, and throughout his leadership roles.”
Styles maintains his key to a distinguished tenure in the public service is remembering who he was working for.
“When you take these jobs, you’re here to serve your shareholder and the minute you lose track of who your shareholder is, I think you know, you get yourself into problems,” he said, noting the public elects a government and he works for the government.
“You always want to remember that it’s the people of Saskatchewan that you’re working for. The intent is to provide sound public policy and good services, depending on what kind of job you’re in.”