President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, Succeeds David Gossen In The Post

The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) is pleased to announce the election of Cynthia Garneau, President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, as Chair of the AIAC Board of Directors. Ms. Garneau succeeds David Gossen, President of IMP Aerospace & Defence, who served as Chair of the AIAC Board over the last year.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as AIAC's Board Chair," said Ms. Garneau. "Maintaining our strategic edge, both here in Canada and around the world, will require a commitment to leveraging our expertise in collaborative innovation to drive growth and attract diverse talent across industries. I look forward to working with AIAC's Board and management team to ensure the ongoing success of Canada's aerospace industry in the years ahead."

Jim Quick, President and CEO of AIAC, officially welcomed Ms. Garneau to her new role at AIAC's Annual General Meeting on November 7. "Cynthia Garneau is an experienced executive and a leading voice within Canada's aerospace community. I am confident that, as Chair, her guidance and expertise will strengthen the association and position the industry for even greater success," Mr. Quick said. "On behalf of all of us at the AIAC, I offer our heartfelt congratulations to Cynthia on her election as Chair and look forward to working with her during the coming year."

The Board also acknowledged the service and contributions of AIAC's outgoing chair, Mr. David Gossen. "Mr. Gossen's leadership and strategic vision have been invaluable to AIAC's growth and achievements over the last year," Mr. Quick said. "I would like to personally thank David for his commitment to our association and industry and am very pleased that he will remain active on AIAC's Board in the coming year."

AIAC is the national association representing Canada's aerospace manufacturing and services sector. As the world's fifth-largest aerospace industry, Canada's aerospace sector contributes nearly $28B to the economy in GDP, exports 80% of its output, and dedicates over 20% of its activity to research and development (R&D). Aerospace is responsible for the employment of 208,000 Canadians.

Cynthia Garneau was named President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, Mirabel in January 2016. In her current role, Cynthia is responsible for leading all Mirabel operations with a focus on executing an integrated strategy to keep operations competitive and viable in an ever-changing global market.

Cynthia joined Bell Helicopter in 2004 as a Contracts and Compliance Manager at the Mirabel facility. She has held leadership roles of increasing responsibility within Supply Chain Management, Public Affairs and Government Relations. Most recently, Cynthia was named the Director of Integrated Business Planning and Production Engineering organization and a key member of the Bell Helicopter Canada leadership team.

Cynthia is a proven aerospace leader with more than 20 years of experience leading complex teams at major original equipment manufacturers. Before joining Bell Helicopter, Cynthia held various leadership and technical roles at Bombardier Aerospace; where she helped launch several major aircraft program initiatives and key negotiations for the Business Aircraft group.

Cynthia earned a Bachelor of Specialized Education as well as a Bachelor of Law, both from Sherbrooke University. She is a lawyer and member of the Québec Bar since 1994. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for both the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada and Aero Montreal.

(Source: AIAC news release)

FMI: aiac.ca