Aerospace panel

As Québec’s leading manufacturing exporter, the aerospace sector accounts for more than 35,000 jobs in the province. In an era of change, the industry must reinvent itself to preserve its assets and grow in a society that encourages sustainable growth.

Québec aerospace companies face numerous challenges: innovating and reducing their environmental footprint while continuing to attract and retain talent in a post-pandemic era. 

Moderated by Suzanne M. Benoît, panellists will discuss the levers that the sector can use to meet these challenges and remain one of the economic pillars of Québec while making a lasting contribution to the advancement of our society.

 

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Biography

Suzanne Benoît

Suzanne M. Benoît was appointed President of Aéro Montreal, Québec’s aerospace cluster, at its inception in August 2006. Aéro Montreal brings together major decision makers in Québec’s aerospace sector and aims to optimize the competitiveness, growth and the influence of the industry around the world.
Prior to joining Aéro Montréal, she led the Longueuil Economic Development Agency (LED) as its President and CEO, from its creation in 2002. From 1999 to 2002, she led the foreign investment prospecting team in the Americas division of Investissement Québec. From 1991 to 1999, she held various executive positions at Hydro-Québec in the areas of governmental and institutional relations, industrial and economic development in the Commercial Division.
She started her career with the government of Canada in Ottawa and held various senior positions in the International Affairs Branch of Industry Canada, where she managed the industrial cooperation between Canada and Japan and Canada and South Korea and in the marketing of the defence products in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
In 2015, the Prime Minister of Canada officially appointed Ms. Benoît as one of three business representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, one of the most important regional forums in the world.
Ms. Benoît is very active in the field of economic development both at the national and international level. She also serves on many boards of directors, namely “Invest in Canada”, Greener Aircraft Catalyst Project (SA2GE) and Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee, École de technologie supérieure (ETS), Sous-traitance industrielle Québec (STIQ), Conseil Emploi Métropole, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ), Comité sectoriel de la main-d’oeuvre en aérospatiale (CAMAQ), Aerospace Industries Association Canada (AIAC), and the Montreal Country Club.
Ms. Benoît holds a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa. In 2016, she received the title of corporate director from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) program of the Rotman School of Management and McGill University.
Ms. Benoît’s community involvement is also reflected by her honorary role and participation in many charitable organizations.

Biography September 2022

Hélène V. Gagnon

Hélène V. Gagnon is Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement at CAE and is a member of the Executive Management Committee. She leads CAE’s ESG strategy, sustainability, environment, and social impact to make the world a safer place. She is accountable for CAE’s global communications with employees, media and other stakeholders as well as public affairs and government relations including R&D and Higher education institutions relations. She joined CAE in 2015 as Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Global Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Prior to her appointment at CAE, Ms. Gagnon worked for 11 years at Bombardier, the last eight as Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Achieving Excellence System for Bombardier Aerospace, at the time, the third largest civil aircraft manufacturer. From 2003 to 2007 she was Senior Director of Public Affairs at Bombardier Transportation.
She began her career in 1995 with the law firm Fasken as a specialist in environmental law. In 2000, she joined mining and metallurgy multinational Noranda Inc./ Falconbridge Limited (now known as Glencore) as Director of Public and Corporate Affairs for Québec.
Ms. Gagnon has always been very active in the community. She has been involved in more than 50 organizations including government advisory boards, pressure groups, cultural and charity organizations and business associations and was appointed to more than 25 Boards of Directors.
She is an independent member of the Board of Directors of Hydro Quebec since 2015 and Chairs the Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of The Montreal Airports (ADM) and has been a Director since 2014. She is Vice Chair of the Board of the Canadian American Business Council and has been a member of the Board since 2017. Hélène chaired the Board of Directors of Aéro Montréal, Greater Montréal’s Aerospace Cluster (2015-2018) and the Board of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada’s (2012-2013) and is still a Board member of both. She has been a speaker or panelist around the world on topics such as ESG, social impact, environmental policy, corporate social responsibility, public policy issues, crisis management, issue management and social media. She has garnered more than 70 scholarships, awards, distinctions and excellence prizes notably, the prestigious Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100™ award from the Women Executive Network in 2007 and the top 50 of Best Executives in Canada from the Globe and Mail Report on Business in 2022. A graduate of McGill University with a degree in Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Common Law (LL.B.), Ms. Gagnon also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics (M.Sc). She is a member of the Québec Bar, holds the professional certifications of Accredited in Public Relations (APR) and Fellow (FCPRS) from the Canadian Public Relations Society as well as the Global ESG Competent Boards Designation (GCB.D).

Biography September 2022

 

Gilles Labbé

Gilles Labbé’s history with Héroux-Devtek spans over 40 years. Currently Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, he started his career at Héroux in 1982 as the Director of Finance, at the tender age of 26. Three years later, he acquired Héroux Inc. with his manager Sarto Richer and became its President and CEO.   
Driven by a singular vision to make Héroux a North American leader and an outstanding ability to convert his vision into action, within nine months of the acquisition, he expanded Héroux’s order backlog from $15M to $100M and a few months later, listed the company on the Toronto Stock Exchange.   
Mr. Labbé was also the initial force behind Héroux’s successful growth by acquisition strategy. Héroux Inc. acquired Devtek Corporation in 2000 resulting in the creation of Héroux-Devtek. Over the years, the company completed more acquisitions which allowed to expand internationally including Eagle Tool & Machine in 2010; APPH in 2014; and in 2018, Beaver Aerospace as well as CESA.   
Mr. Labbé’s drive and ambition are behind Héroux-Devtek’s positioning today as the third-largest landing gear company in the world, supplying the global commercial and military aerospace markets with landing gear systems and components, as well as aftermarket goods and services with prestigious clients and programs which include the Boeing 777 and 777X programs, among others. His conviction, determination, and passion for the aerospace industry have had a significant impact on the development of the industry in Canada and contributed to making it safer, more effective, and more technically advanced than ever before as well as ensuring permanent benefits to the country and Quebec’s economic development and to hundreds of hardworking employees.    
Mr. Labbé is a member of numerous charitable organizations, including the Pierre Boucher Hospital Foundation, Marie-Vincent Foundation and Charles Lemoyne Hospital Foundation. Over the years, Gilles has continued to serve on various boards of directors, including Montreal Airport, the AIAC, Aéro Montréal, and CGI. For his accomplishments, Mr. Labbé was named "Entrepreneur of the Year in Quebec" by Ernst & Young in 2001, received the FCA designation from the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec in 2019, and was inducted into the Panthéon de l'air et de l'espace du Québec in 2022.  
Mr. Labbé holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from l’Université de Montréal and is a chartered accountant from l’Université de Montréal, École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC).

Biography September 2022

 

Ève Laurier

Ève Laurier was appointed Vice President, Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Bombardier in May 2021. A seasoned professional and senior executive leader, Ms. Laurier brings more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in public relations, communications, corporate marketing and branding to Bombardier. Her mandate is to lead the company’s community and government engagement, employee and customer outreach, and steward the brand journey internally and externally, around the world. She has given herself the mandate of making Bombardier shine in its home province of Quebec and, in turn, highlighting Quebec know-how around the world through the company’s unparalleled products and its international activities.
Ms. Laurier sets herself apart through her passion for corporate culture and her desire to put authenticity at the heart of her interactions. She the executive co-champion of Bombardier's Diversity and Inclusion forum for women. She is also an executive-level catalyst for Bombardier’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) strategy, an essential driver of Bombardier’s decarbonization efforts and a pillar of the company’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategy. Additionally, she is a member of the board at Aéro Montréal.
Prior to joining Bombardier, Ms. Laurier held several senior leadership roles including serving as a General Manager at Edelman’s Montreal office, where she was instrumental in helping businesses and organizations evolve and promote and protect their brands and reputations. She was also Vice President, Strategic Relations, at Richter, an accounting and financial consulting firm. Her impressive knowledge of communications and marketing was honed with various roles and responsibilities at other well-known agencies and organizations.
Ms. Laurier’s accomplishments and her participation in numerous conferences and charitable activities, as well as her presence on corporate boards, have contributed to her recognition as a role model for future generations of women. In 2018, she was part of a select group of women leaders from around the world chosen to participate in the International Women’s Forum Fellows Program – an intensive leadership development program in partnership with Harvard Business School and INSEAD. In 2020, she received the Prix Coup de Coeur from the Association des femmes en finances du Québec, and she was also an award finalist in the Leadership, Femmes d’exception category at the 2020 Les Mercuriades gala, a prestigious business contest organized by the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ). 
In 2021, Ms. Laurier co-chaired Bombardier’s annual fundraising effort for Centraide.
Ms. Laurier holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from McGill and HEC Montréal and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University.
She is based at Bombardier headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Biography September 2022