Phil Bates, MBA, MSc
Instructor
About
Phil Bates is a part-time instructor in information systems (IS) in the Department of Sciences. Phil first joined the university for the Winter 2025 quarter.
Phil is a retired C-suite executive with nearly 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry in Canada and the United States. He has led organizations through growth and transformations in the areas of technology and operations. More recently, Phil has provided advisory and management consulting services to organizations since 2019 following his retirement from TELUS Communications in Canada.
During his 15 years at TELUS, he held several executive leadership roles including Executive Vice President of Business Transformation and Operations, Senior Vice President of Consumer Customer Experience, and Senior Vice President of Enterprise and Government Customer Experience, supporting teams of thousands of team members responsible for supporting our external and internal customers. Prior to TELUS, Phil held senior operational leadership roles with Sprint Canada, as well as with MCI and Rochester Telephone in the United States.
Phil holds a Master of Systems Engineering and Architecture degree from the University of Southern California, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Rochester, and a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Phil is a citizen of both the United States and Canada. Phil and his wife Debbie are fortunate to have four adult children and six wonderful grandchildren, all located in the greater Vancouver area.
Phil serves as a member of the Board of Directors for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Society in Vancouver, a non-profit social services agency providing settlement services for new immigrants to Canada, affordable housing, and senior care. He is also Chair of the Risk Management Committee, and member of the Finance and Audit committee. In nearly 7 years serving with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., he has also held the positions of Vice Chair of the Board, and member of the Executive Committee. In addition, Phil has served on the TELUS Community Board in Vancouver and on the Board of the BC Tech Association.