Pierre J. Jeanniot, o.c., c.q.
Chairman of the Board

Mr. Jeanniot is President and CEO of Jinmag Management and Investment Services, a consulting company which provides advice to governments, national and international airlines, major financial institutions, civil aviation authorities, and hi-tech, aviation-related companies.   In parallel to his involvement with Laurentian Aerospace, Mr. Jeanniot currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Luxell Québec, and a Board member of Nature Air and Star Navigation Inc.  He is also a senior consultant to the Gerson Lehrman Group, in partnership with Bloomberg L.P.   

Mr. Jeanniot was Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from 1993 to 2002. He is now Director General Emeritus in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international civil aviation. From 1984 to 1990, Mr. Jeanniot held the position of President and CEO of Air Canada. He served as Chairman of Thales Canada from 2003 until December 2009.

Pierre Jeanniot has served on the Board of Directors of numerous airlines, telecommunications companies, airports, air navigation authorities and publishing houses.  He spent 14 years on the Board of Scotiabank, followed by five years on the Boards of a number of Scotia subsidiary companies.  He was subsequently named Honorary Director of Scotiabank for life.  

During his tenure as Director General and CEO of IATA, Mr. Jeanniot was instrumental in transforming the organization into the global leader of civil aviation, assisting and promoting the interests of the international airline community and its partners. Under his direction, IATA also became a major supplier of products and services for the international civil aviation industry.

Mr. Jeanniot was appointed President and CEO of Air Canada in 1984, after having held senior positions in Operations, Marketing, Strategic Planning and Technical Services. He directed the privatization of the airline and subsequently led the privatized carrier as its first CEO. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Jeanniot contributed directly to the development of the first comprehensive flight data recorder (or “Black Box”) which has become indispensable to aircraft safety.

Mr. Jeanniot was honored with a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Université du Québec in 1988. He received the Management Achievement Award from McGill University’s Faculty of Management in 1989, and an Honorary Doctorate in International Law from Concordia University in 1997. On May 29, 2006, he was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, by McGill University.  

Pierre Jeanniot was named Officer of the Order of Canada in 1989;   Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by the French Government in 1991; and he received the Independence Medal of the First Order from the late King Hussein of Jordan in 1995.   In 2002,  Pierre Jeanniot was Flight International's "Transportation Man of the Year" and during that year he also received the Airline Business Strategy Award.  He was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2004, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2008. In 2012, Pierre Jeanniot was inducted into Canada`s Aviation Hall of Fame.