Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement, CAE
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 sustainability, environment, health and safety and social impact strategy across CAE’s worldwide operations to make the world a safer place. She is accountable for CAE’s global communications with employees, media and other stakeholders as well as collaboration, government programs (R&D) and academic partnerships. She also oversees the overall diversity, equity and inclusion corporate strategy and indigenous relations. In her role, she partners with CAE’s business units and functions to capitalize on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability while creating business value.
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.
Ms. Gagnon has always been very active in the community. She has been involved in more than 50 organizations including government advisory boards, industry associations, cultural and charity organizations and was appointed to more than 25 Boards of Directors including 4 corporate Boards.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of a publicly listed clean tech company, NanoXplore Inc. (GRA.TO) and serves on the Board of the IAEG (International Aerospace Environmental Group). In 2023, she completed her 9-year mandate as Board member and Vice Chair of Aéroports de Montréal and in 2024, her 9-year mandate as an independent member of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec and Chair of the Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. She has been a Board member and Vice Chair of the Canadian American Business Council from 2017 to 2024. 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 has been a Board member of both for more than 15 years, until 2024.
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, and 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).
