Marc Parent (born February 5, 1961) is a French-Canadian business executive,

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

, and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. He has been the president and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of CAE since 2009.

Early life and education

Marc Parent was born in

Verdun, Quebec Verdun ( , , ) is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, located in the southeastern part of the island. Long known as a working class neighbourhood, it has experienced significant gentrification and s ...

. At the age of 12, he joined the 51st Air Cadet squadron in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. He later switched to the 783rd Air Cadet squadron in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Parent obtained his pilot's license through the Air Cadets at the age of 17. He remained in the Air Cadets for a total of 6 years. Parent graduated from the

Polytechnique Montréal (; previously ) is a Public university, public research university affiliated with the in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The school offers Graduate School, graduate and postgraduate training, and is very active in research. Following tradition, ne ...

in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

. In 2012, Parent received an honorary doctorate from the same institution. Parent is a graduate of the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Advanced Management Program An Advanced Management Program (AMP) is an intensive non-degree senior executive education program often offered by elite business schools and aimed at senior managers and government officials. It is offered by business schools in several parts o ...

. Parent is an active pilot, holding an Airline Transport Pilot License from Transport Canada.

Career

Canadair and Bombardier

Parent began his engineering career as an aerospace engineer with Canadair in 1984. He started as an engineer on the Challenger and Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) programs. Following the sale of Canadair to Bombardier by the Mulroney government in 1986, Parent continued his work on those programs. In 1987, he became manager of the Challenger's mechanical systems, with the mandate of fixing the aircraft's teething problems. In 1990, he was made responsible for setting up the Bombardier flight testing and certification center in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. In 1993, Parent's responsibilities were expanded, as he was promoted to project director for the Challenger 604. Soon after Bombardier's acquisition of

de Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular De Havilland Canada Dash 8, Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were loca ...

, Parent was put in charge of the

De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was bought by Boeing in 1986, then by Bombardier in 1992, then by Longvi ...

program. In 1998, he was named as Bombardier's vice president, Program Management, making him responsible for all of Bombardier's aircraft development programs, including the Global Express, the

Learjet 45 The Learjet 45 (LJ45) is a mid-size business jet aircraft produced by the Learjet, Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace. The Model 45 was the first all-new design since the original Learjet, and significantly altered the Learjet line. Throug ...

, the CRJ, and the upcoming

Challenger 300 The Bombardier Challenger 300 is a range super mid-sized business jet designed and produced by the Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Development of the aircraft, originally called the Bombardier Continental, begun during th ...

. From 2000 to 2004, Parent held various executive positions within Bombardier. In 2000, he was promoted to vice president, Operations, for Bombardier's De Havilland facility in Toronto, Canada. In 2001, he was named vice president and general manager of operations for that facility. In 2003, he was promoted to vice president and general manager, U.S. operations. In 2004, Parent returned to Bombardier's Montreal facility in order to take on the role of vice president and general manager of the Challenger 300, Challenger 604, 850/870, and CRJ-200 aircraft programs.

CAE

In February 2005, Parent joined CAE to take on the role of group president, Simulation Products. CAE had been financially struggling since 2004, and Parent was hired to correct the situation. In 2006, he was promoted to group president, Simulation Products and Military Training & Services. His role at CAE was once again expanded in 2008, as he was promoted to executive vice president and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

. As executive vice president and COO, he was responsible for all four of the company's business segments and all new growth initiatives. In November 2008, he joined CAE's board of directors. Following the retirement of CAE's CEO Robert E. Brown August 12, 2009, CAE's board of directors announced that Parent would be chosen as his successor. Parent officially became president and chief executive officer of CAE in October 2009. As president and CEO, Parent focused on expanding CAE's position in the flight training business and diversifying CAE's product portfolio, including expansion into the healthcare sector. Under his leadership, CAE expanded its core military training in the U.S. through the acquisition of L3 Harris' military training business. Under Parent's leadership, CAE became the first carbon neutral Canadian aerospace company, and in November 2022, CAE was voted as one of Canada's top employers.

COVID-19 response

With the shortages of

Personal Protective Equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

(PPE) for healthcare workers and ventilators in Canada at the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and the loss of revenue caused due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, Parent shifted CAE's focus towards helping Canada's COVID-19 response. Under Parent's leadership, CAE developed the CAE Air1™ ventilator, signing a contract with the Government of Canada to manufacture and supply 10,000 ventilators. In 2021, Parent led the charge in a mobilization effort with many large Quebec and Canadian companies to work with the government so they could expedite the vaccination effort by opening their own "vaccination hubs" for employees. CAE's vaccination centre opened in April 2021 and administered over 33,000 doses of vaccine.

Other corporate activities

Parent serves on the board of directors of

Telus Telus may refer to: * Telus Corporation, a Canadian publicly traded holding company ** Telus Communications, a telecommunications company ** Telus Digital, a technology company ** Telus Health, a health technology provider ** Telus Mobility T ...

, McGill University Health Centre Foundation, and the Business Council of Canada (BCC). Parent chaired the board for Aero Montreal, Quebec's aerospace cluster, from 2008 until 2010. He is a past board member and chair for the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC). He also served as a member of the board of directors and executive committee for the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI).

Philanthropy

Parent is a trustee of the

Lakefield College School Lakefield College School (sometimes called LCS, The Grove or simply Lakefield) is a private day and boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario. It was the first Canadian member of Round Square, an international affiliatio ...

Foundation, and is a member of the Council of Governors for the greater

branch of the United Way Centraide Canada Organization. In 2013, he joined Michael E. Roach as co-president of the

Centraide United Way Centraide Canada () is the national organization for the autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways and Centraides across Canada. The United Way Movement in Canada is a federated network of local United Way offices serving more than 5,000 ...

''Cabinet de Campagne''. In 2019, Parent made a donation of $3 million to

for the construction of a new student residence. The new residence will be named the "Parent House" in his honor. In 2019, he joined Jean Raby as co-president of the

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

(MBAM)

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

. In 2020, Parent made a $100,000 donation to the

McGill University Health Centre The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC; ) is one of two major healthcare networks in the city of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. It is affiliated with McGill University and one of the largest medical complexes in Montreal. It is the largest hospita ...

(MUHC) Foundation. These funds were used to support research using the ''Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19'' (BQC19). In 2020, he joined Suzanne Legge Orr and

Jean Charest John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding se ...

as co-chairs of the MUHC Foundation's Dream Big campaign.

Awards and recognition

*1999: Canada's Top 40 under 40 *2005: Aerospace Engineering Leadership Award, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) *2005: Forest R. McFarland award *2010: Fellow of Society of Automotive Engineers International * 2011: Defence Executive of the Year, Canadian Defence Review * 2012: Honorary Doctorate,

* 2016: Merit Award, Association of Polytechnique Graduates * 2018: CEO of the year,

Les Affaires ''Les Affaires'' is a French-language monthly business-oriented newspaper publishing 14 issues per year. Founded in 1928, it is now owned by the Contex Group since 2019. Its headquarters is in Montreal. It is directed by Pierre Marcoux (President ...

* 2019: James C. Floyd award * 2020: Defence Executive of the Year, Canadian Defence Review * 2020: Bernard-Landry prize * 2020:

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

*2021: Prix Prospère, Conseil du patronat du Québec *2022: Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame *2022: Industry Leader of the Year award, Living Legends of Aviation *2022: Panthéon de l’Air et de l’Espace du Québec *2022: Knight of the Ordre Nationale du Québec *2022: The ''

Aviation Week & Space Technology ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...

'' 2022 Philip J. Klass Award for Lifetime Achievement *2024: Living Legends of Aviation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parent, Marc Businesspeople from Montreal 1961 births Living people People from Verdun, Quebec Harvard Business School alumni Canadian mechanical engineers Université de Montréal alumni Members of the Order of Canada