Montreal Executive Mentors

Éric Martel,  President & CEO, Bombardier

Éric Martel was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier in the spring of 2020. Since then, he has been a driving force behind Bombardier’s successful repositioning as a company purely focused on business aviation. Under his leadership, Bombardier is evolving its industry-leading portfolio of business jets and expanding its service footprint around the world while delivering strong financial results. He is deeply committed to the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance strategy, notably its goals of increasing diversity and the number of women in management positions, and shaping a more sustainable future for business aviation. Mr. Martel is also a member of Bombardier’s Board of Directors.

Prior to his appointment, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec since July 2015. From 2002 until 2015, he held positions of increasing responsibility within Bombardier, including President of Bombardier Business Aircraft, President of Bombardier Aerospace Services, Vice-President and General Manager of the Global and Challenger platforms and he also worked at Bombardier Transportation from 2002 to 2004 as Vice President of Operations for North America. Prior to joining Bombardier, Mr. Martel worked for various other high-profile multinational companies, such as Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods.

Mr. Martel holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Laval University and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Concordia University in 2019. He was elected as a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2022.

Mr. Martel has been actively involved with Centraide of Greater Montreal for over 20 years, and co-chairs the fundraising campaign of the Fondation de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal. He is also a member Board of Directors of the Corporate Angel Network.

 

Mario D. Morroni, President & Chief Executive Officer, Cominar

Mario D. Morroni has been President and Chief Executive Officer at Cominar since May 2022. A recognized manager and leader in the financial, investment and real estate sectors, as well as in the management and administration of pension plans, he has been elaborating and implementing strategies aimed at efficiency, value creation for over 30 years.

Prior to joining Cominar, Mario acted as Executive Vice President, Industrial North America at Ivanhoé Cambridge. He also held various strategic roles between 2014 and 2022 and was a member of the Board of Directors between 2008 and 2014.

From 2010 to 2014, he was President and CEO of the Association de bienfaisance et de retraite des policiers et policières de la Ville de Montréal (ABRPPVM). Between 2001 and 2010, Mario held the position of Vice President, Operations of the organization with responsibilities for pension benefits, mortgages, IT and human resources.

He was also a member of the board of directors of Pure, IDI, GID, and Otéra Capital as well as a member of the Advisory Committee and Investment Committee of Kingsett Funds.

Mario holds a bachelor’s in commerce with a specialization in Finance from Concordia University. He is a member of the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec and holds the Certified Corporate Director (C.Dir./ASC) designation.

 

Luc Rodier, CEO, Guillevin International

With its nationwide distribution network, Guillevin ranks among Canada's largest distributors of electrical material. It is also a major distributor of safety products and equipment as well as industrial supplies. Its knowledgeable employees working in more than 150 Profit Centres in key locations across Canada ensure Guillevin's success by distributing a wide variety of products from selected world-class manufacturers.

For the last 5 years, Luc Rodier has been leading the transformation of Guillevin while supporting significant growth as the CEO of the company. With a passion for people and operations leading a company like Guillevin is without a doubt an incredible opportunity. Leading a privately owned company of this size and with financial capacity to realize its ambitions is a unique luxury. This gives the organization speed and agility few other have.

Previously Luc has spent 15 years with Canada’s largest hardware retailer until the group was sold to US interest in 2016. Starting as regional manager he was quickly promoted to regional Vice President and then Executive Vice President Operations. His ability to rapidly identify opportunities and mobilize a team to execute solutions and turnaround financial performance is what he was known for.

After graduating from UQAM's School of Management with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, he soon started to redirect his career in industries where he had natural ability. Business was always in his blood and his degree helped him develop his critical planning expertise and deeper comprehension of complete ecosystem.

 

Nathalie Fagnan, President & CEO, Héma-Québec

Nathalie Fagnan began her career at KPMG before moving into the services sector. She spent more than 20 years with Publicis Groupe, the third-largest communications group in the world. She rose through the ranks to hold multiple senior management positions (CFO and COO) in the Quebec, Canadian, and American markets. She then spent two years at the largest chartered accountant firm in Quebec, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT). For nearly four years, she has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Héma-Québec, where she helps lead the team in its daily mission to save lives while ensuring the organization’s sustainability.

A natural leader, Nathalie has extensive experience with and knowledge of the services sector and its challenges, which contributes greatly to the success of the organizations she leads. In 2004, she was one of 26 remarkable women honoured by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. In 2021, she was named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women, in the Women of Courage category. The same year, she received the Medal of the National Assembly, a distinction awarded to individuals deserving of the recognition of the Members of the Assembly and the people of Quebec. This year, she received a Mercuriades award in the Sun Life exceptional women in leadership – large business category from the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. Nathalie is known for her boundless determination and drive. Perhaps her most defining trait is her constant desire to achieve the highest standards through a humane and caring management approach.

 

Franca Gucciardi, chef de la direction, McCall MacBain Foundation

Franca Gucciardi est la directrice générale de la Fondation McCall MacBain (McCall MacBain Foundation) et des Bourses McCall MacBain à McGill (McCall MacBain Scholarships). Elle a occupé un poste semblable pendant 13 ans à la Fondation Boursiers Loran. En 1990, Franca a été la toute première boursière Loran. Au cours de son mandat de directrice générale, elle a recueilli plus de 50 millions de dollars et a aidé à créer le programme de développement du leadership le plus exhaustif qui soit, au Canada, pour des étudiants de premier cycle, en amorçant ou en revitalisant diverses initiatives, dont le mentorat, des journées de réflexion annuelles dirigées par des pairs, des stages d’été, une expédition d’orientation et la stratégie de relations entre anciens boursiers. Elle a également fondé et dirigé les Bourses d’excellence du millénaire du Canada et est reconnue comme une spécialiste mondiale des bourses au mérite.

Franca a grandi en Sicile et a immigré au Canada à l’âge de 11 ans dans le quartier Jane-Finch de Toronto, où elle a fréquenté le C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. Lors de sa dernière année d’études dans cet établissement, elle a posé sa candidature aux toutes nouvelles Bourses Loran, à l’instigation de son conseiller d’orientation, et est devenue la première boursière de l’organisme. Cette bourse lui a permis de devenir la première de sa famille à poursuivre des études universitaires. Elle a choisi les sciences politiques et le français. Après un baccalauréat ès arts à l’Université de Waterloo, elle a obtenu une maîtrise en relations internationales de l’Université Carleton. Dès le début de sa carrière, elle a appris les tenants et les aboutissants de la collecte de fonds en travaillant pour Brampton Caledon Community Living, un organisme sans but lucratif qui aide les personnes présentant une déficience intellectuelle à vivre une vie riche et valorisante.

Franca est membre du conseil d’administration d’Enactus et siège à divers conseils consultatifs de l’Université Western et de l’Université de Guelph. Membre associée du Forum international des femmes, elle détient le titre d’administratrice agréée du Directors College, qui lui a décerné le prix Gil Bennett Gold Standard Governance pour ses réalisations exceptionnelles. En 2013, elle a été inscrite au palmarès des femmes à suivre du Diversity Journal. Elle a également reçu le prix Sara Kirke en entrepreneuriat et innovation de l’Alliance canadienne pour les technologies avancées (2015) et le prix du mérite des anciens du baccalauréat ès arts de l’Université de Waterloo (2017). En collaboration avec Alan Broadbent, elle a écrit You’re It! Shared Wisdom for Successfully Leading Organizations from both a Seasoned and a First-Time CEO.

 

Nathalie Morin, President, Polystyvert Inc.

Nathalie Morin holds a degree in engineering from Polytechnique Montréal, as well as an MBA from UQAM, and is the current president of Polystyvert Inc. She was previously the company’s CTO.

Nathalie has held numerous positions with increasing responsibility in operations management, project management, and supply chain management.

Early in her career, she was a production and technical services manager at MDF La Baie, before moving on to a project management role at Roche Ingénieurs Conseils, where she stayed until 2011. She was then recruited by Enerkem, where she worked for several years and held different management positions to become general manager of projects and construction.

From 2016 to 2017, Nathalie acted as director of operations for Scotts Canada. She then spent three years in Rio Tinto’s aluminum division as general manager of power operations before joining the Polystyvert team in 2021.

An authentic and strategic manager with more than 20 years of experience in operations optimization and profitability as well as project and investment portfolio management, Nathalie has never shied away from an opportunity to make a difference in the organization she was involved with.