John Roth (businessman)

John Andrew Roth, a Canadian, was the chief executive officer and chairman of Nortel Networks between 1997-2001, He was called "the most successful businessman in modern Canadian history" by Time magazine and named Canada’s CEO of the Year by a Bay Street panel in the fall of 2000. He was born in Lethbridge, Alberta,Canada, in 1942.

Roth joined Northern Telecom in 1969 as a design engineer.

Between 1993-1995, Roth served as president of Nortel's North American operations. He was named Northern Telecom Limited's CEO in 1995 and was elected to the board of directors in 1996. In February 1997, he was named president of the corporation, in addition to continuing to serve as CEO. In October 1997, Roth became president and CEO of the company which became known as Nortel Networks.

Under Roth's control Nortel became the leading engine of Canada's 1990s high-tech boom. Nortel became the most important traded on the and became one of Canada's leading employers. Roth used his success and high popularity to lobby the government for tax cuts, but he did not support Clive Allen's statement to threaten to move Nortel to the United States if taxes were not lowered.

Network World, on January 4, 1999, referred to Roth as one of the 25 most powerful people in networking, a “man of boldness and vision, one who would rather strike than be stricken.“

Forbes magazine, on December 13, 2000, referred to Roth as having "engineered some 16 acquisitions while putting the pedal to the metal internally to transform Nortel from a simple telecom equipment provider into a global brand name identified with the Internet."

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