Photo courtesy: Rheanne Marcoux
The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League have hired Rhéanne Marcoux to be their next president, beginning June 1.
Marcoux first joined the Sea Bears in January 2026, but spent the previous 11 years working for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. She rose from the marketing department to vice president of marketing and communications for the 112th Grey Cup, where she led the brand strategy, content creation, fan engagement, and communications apparatus. She also oversaw the marketing and communications efforts for the 2026 Grey Cup Festival.
The executive made headlines in 2024 when she became the first prominent female employee in the CFL to call out commissioner Randy Ambrosie and Toronto Argonauts’ general manager Pinball Clemons for their handling of the harassment allegations against reigning M.O.P. Chad Kelly.
“Rhéanne is a proven success in professional sports in Winnipeg, and her impact with the Bombers is truly national – for both the team and the CFL itself,” Sea Bears owner David Asper said in a statement. “Since joining the Sea Bears, she has fundamentally transformed how this organization operates, from implementing new systems and processes to establishing long-term team culture across the organization. This appointment is the natural next step, and I’m looking forward to having our fans and our entire organization benefit from her leadership.”
Asper, who previously served as president in addition to his other duties, is a former chairman of the Blue Bombers. He founded the Sea Bears as a CEBL expansion franchise ahead of the 2023 season and will continue to serve as chair for the franchise, as well as their director on the league’s board.
As president, Marcoux will oversee all business operations, brand strategy, revenue, marketing, ticketing, partnerships, fan experience, and community engagement for the team. In her previous role as chief brand and experience officer, she had already implemented a new CRM, launched a marketing automation system, introduced project management infrastructure, and led a brand and culture reset across the organization.
“When I came on board, I saw an organization with incredible potential and a fan base that was ready for more,” Marcoux said as part of the announcement. “Over the past several months, we’ve been building new foundations – new systems, new processes and a new way of working together. There’s a lot of building left to do, but we are so fortunate to have a fantastic staff and I’m excited to continue to grow the Sea Bears organization together.”
The Sea Bears have posted a 34-33 overall record through four years, losing all three postseason games they’ve appeared in. The team is 2-1 so far this season and will next host the Niagara River Lions at Canada Life Centre on Friday, May 22.
