Ian Troop

Ian Troop was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of TO2015 which oversees the preparation and execution of the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games. Prior to his appointment as the CEO of TO2015, Troop was President of ConAgra Foods, and a vice president at Procter & Gamble.^[1]

Troop also served on the Advisory Board of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA). In 2006 and 2007 the National Post named Troop one of Canada's top CEO's of the future.^[2]

In 1981 Troop graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a BBA. While in university Troop was an all-star football player and was inducted to the Laurier hall of fame in 1978. Troop was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 1981.^[3] In 2009 he was named Wilfrid Laurier Alumni of the year, and in 2011 one of the top 100 WLU alumni of the past 100 years. In 2012 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his community work.^[4]

2015 Pan American Games

On February 11, 2010 Troop was named the Chief Executive Officer of the organizing committee of the 2015 Pan American Games.^[5] Constant venue delays and secrecy surrounding the organization made Troop a target of critics.^[6] Additionally, Troop's compensation and bonus structure drew criticism.^[7]

On December 13, 2013 the Board of TO2015 fired Troop.^[8] He was replaced by Saad Rafi, Ontario Deputy Health Minister. The Games' Chair David Peterson stressed that criticism of Troop was not the cause of his dismissal, stating the Games are "in really great shape."^[8] Indeed, Michael Fennel, former president of The Commonwealth Games Federation, and chairman of the PASO Technical Commission praised progress during an October 2013 visit, saying "compared to previous host cities, Toronto is well ahead with plans and preparations".^[9] Troop received a severance package worth $534,000.^[10] Troop's firing ultimately had nothing to do with the expenses scandal that arose in 2013.^[11]

Just before the start of the Games in July 2015, the Hamilton Spectator described Troop as doing ‘all the heavy lifting’ in a ‘precise pivot’, changing two thirds of the Bid dream plan to create the Games execution plan. Under his leadership, $53 million was saved on a $672 Million capital budget, and sponsorship exceeded the $102 million sponsorship goal by more than $50 million – in total over a $100 million improvement. John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Olympics said Troop 'worked his heart out and will always own a piece of these Games. He has his fingerprints all over this event'.^[12] It was announced in September 2015 that the successful Games were completed within the $2.4 billion budget.^[13][14][15]

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