Laurent Beaudoin

Laurent Beaudoin was born in Laurier Station, Quebec, on May 13, 1938.After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts defree at Ste-Anne College in Nova Scotia, he went on to complete a Master of Commerce degree at the Universite de Sherbrooke. He is a Chartered Accountant, as well as a Fellow Chartered Accountant.

Beaudoin began his career in Quebec City in 1961 with Beaudoin, Dufresne and Associates Chartered Accountants. In 1963, after two years of private practice, he joined Bombardier Limited as Comptroller. He was appointed General Manager in 1964 and in 1966 became President. In 1979 he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Inc.

In his 35-year career, Beaudoin has emerged as one of Canada's most respected and influential corporate leaders and stands as a visionary figure in this country's aerospace industry. With exceptional leadership qualities, sound business acumen, strong entrepreneurial spirit and strategic foresight, he has taken Bombardier from rather modest beginnings in Quebec to a global manufacturer of aerospace, mass transit equipment and recreational products.

Beaudoin recognized that produce and geographic diversification were key to success in the world of business competition and globalization. Expanding first into the manufacture of mass transit systems, he led Bombardier into aerospace in 1986 through the acquisition of Canadair which had been manufacturing Challenger business jets and amphibious aircraft. By 1992, he controlled Short Brothers in Northern Ireland (1989), Learjet (1990) and de Havilland (1992).

He reorganized and upgraded these companies' production facilities to world-class standards, emphasizing advanced engineering and excellence in new materials and manufacturing techniques. Bombardier Inc. invested heavily in new product development and maximized sales, marketing and product support synergies among group companies. In civil aircraft manufacturing, Bombardier aerospace now ranks behind only Boeing-McDonnell Douglas in the US and Airbus Industrie of Europe. During the past decade, Beaudoin has achieved his goal of doubling Bombardier's sales every five years, to more than $11.5 billion in 1998, with some 90% of revenues currently generated outside of Canada. Aerospace is the largest segment of Bombardier, generating over 50% of the sales.

Since 1992, Bombardier has brought a significant number of new aircraft types to market, including the Canadair Regional Jet and de Havilland Dash 8-200 regional turboprop, Challenger 604 and Learjet 60 business jets, and Canadair CL-415 amphibious aircraft, well-known as Canadair's water bomber. In 1998 two new business jets were introduced into service, the Learjet 45 and the ultra long-range Global Express. In 1999 the Dash 8Q series regional turboprop will be introduced, and in the year 2000, the 70-seat Canadair Regional Jet 700 series will debut.

Over the years, Beaudoin has been honoured by several academic institutions. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates, in various disciplines, from the University of Montreal, York University, Universite de Sherbrooke, University of St-Anne, Bishop's University, Queen's University-Belfast, and the University of Toronto.

In 1973, Beaudoin was made a Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.). He is an Officer of l'Ordre du Quebec. In 1991 the University of Alberta, Faculty of Administration, gave him the Canadian Business Leader Award. In April of 1992, the International Chamber of Commerce named him Canada's International Executive of the Year. In 1994 Flight International in the United Kingdom named him Aerospace Personality of the Year. The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) bestowed the C.D. Howe Award on him in 1995. He has received numerous other awards and recognition in Canada and other countries. He retired as Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Aerospace in 1999, and remains as Chairman of the Board and of the Executive Committee.

Laurent Beaudoin was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999 at a ceremony held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He retired as Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Aerospace in 1999. He remained as Chairman of the Board until 2003 when his son, Pierre Beaudoin was named CEO of Bombardier. Since that time, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.