The CFI Welcomes Former Chairman of the SNC-Lavalin Group as a Member

OTTAWA, September 3, 2003—Dr. John Evans, Chair of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Board of Directors, and Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the CFI, are pleased to announce the Members’ decision to appoint Jean-Paul Gourdeau as a Member of the CFI. 

Mr. Gourdeau’s appointment was approved in June 2003 for a term ending in May 2005. He will be replacing Guy Saint-Pierre who was appointed in the year 2000 for a five-year term. Dr. Evans, on behalf of the Board of Directors, extends his thanks to Mr. Saint-Pierre for his contributions to the CFI over the years.

Mr. Gourdeau’s experience in the private sector and academia will be an asset to the CFI. Among his numerous awards and honours, Mr. Gourdeau, a Montreal resident, was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1990. In 1989, he received an honorary Ph.D. from Concordia University and has earned degrees in engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal and Harvard University.

The Board of Directors reports to Members—a higher governing body similar to a company’s shareholders, but representing the Canadian public. Members are responsible for the appointment of 8 of the 15 Board Directors. A complete list of the Board of Directors and Members can be found here.

The CFI is an independent corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and other non-profit research organizations to carry out world-class research and technology development.

For more information, contact:

Valérie Poulin
Coordinator – Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
(613) 996-3160