John Bean is no longer the president and CEO of the Calgary Flames. The longtime Calgary Sports and Entertainment executive announced he was stepping down in an internal memo sent to Flames employees obtained by The Athletic. Robert Hayes will succeed Bean as the organization’s president and CEO, and the Flames will also add Lorenzo DeCicco as their newest chief operating officer.
“It is a day full of mixed emotions as I truly enjoyed my time with the CSEC family,” Bean wrote in the memo. “The best part about working for CSEC is truly the incredible passion, energy and humility of each and every one of you. I feel honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing organization and extend my sincere gratitude to our wonderful ownership group who provided solid guidance and support to me and our entire team along the way.”
Bean will remain with the organization in a “senior advisory role” as the Flames transition from the Saddledome, the team’s home arena since 1983, to a new event centre. The City of Calgary recently told The Athletic that an update on the project could come next month.
According to the memo, Bean notified Flames ownership last year about his intention to leave CSEC. Bean’s replacements will begin work on June 3.
Bean joined CSEC in 2010 as the organization’s senior vice-president, Finance and Administration and CFO and in 2013 became COO. Bean assumed the role of president in 2018 and added the title of CEO in 2019. Bean was placed in charge of operations for the Flames, the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders, the National Lacrosse League’s Calgary Roughnecks and the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.
Who are Hayes and DeCicco?
Hayes comes from the banking world with over 35 years of experience in that sector. His most recent job was the role of Managing Director, Enterprise Strategic Client Group with the Royal Bank of Canada. Hayes also has positions on boards for the Calgary Film Centre, the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre and Wood’s Home Society.
DeCicco was a founding member and former president of Cavalry FC, the Calgary-based Canadian Premier League soccer franchise. DeCicco was most recently the Chief Commercial Officer with MET Brand Agency and METROPOLITAN Fine Printers. DeCicco has also served on the board of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Calgary Foothills Soccer Club as well as the TELUS Community Board. At Telus, DeCicco was a senior executive vice-president.
