Office of the Chief Executive Officer
François Gagnon, CEO
François Gagnon was appointed to the position of CEO of ÉTS in June 2019. He holds a Bachelor degree and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, which he earned from Polytechnique Montréal in 1991, before joining École de technologie supérieure that same year.
His career at ÉTS has encompassed the positions of Director of the Department of Electrical Engineering, original Director of the Communications and Microelectronic Integration Laboratory (LACIME) and holder of the Chaire de recherche industrielle Ultra Électronique (SCT) en télécommunications sans fil (Ultra Electronics TCS Industrial Research Chair in Wireless Communication) and the NSERC-Ultra Electronics Chair on Wireless Emergency and Tactical Communication. Until very recently, he was Director of the Institut pour la résilience et l’apprentissage automatisé (Resilience and Computer-Assisted Learning Institute) and holder of the Dr. Richard J. Marceau Chair on Wireless IP Technology for Developing Countries.
François Gagnon was one of the two first ÉTS professors to be awarded a research chair. After devoting more than two decades of his life to teaching and research, he now puts his considerable knowledge of ÉTS to good use for the benefit of the entire community. He is committed to the objective of enhancing the school’s reputation and further augmenting its stature.
Members of the Executive Management Team
The CEO of ÉTS is supported by an executive management team that advises him, helps him ensure that ÉTS runs smoothly and assists him in carrying out his duties.
JEAN BELZILE, Vice President of Strategic Development and Resources
Jean Belzile’s background is in computer science and telecommunications. He successively held the positions of Electrical Engineering Professor, ÉTS Research and Industry Relations Director, Interim Director of Academic Affairs and Assistant Deputy Minister in Charge of Innovation at Quebec’s Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et des Exportations (ministry of the economy, innovations and exports). He has been Director of Strategic Development and Resources at ÉTS since 2016. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to a number of industrial projects and has around 50 scientific communications and 20 patents to his name.
ANNIE BOUTHILLETTE, Vice President of Institutional Relations
Annie Bouthillette has acquired close to 25 years of experience in marketing communications, and holds a Bachelor degree in Communication from Université Laval and a certificat en leadership et habiletés de direction (Certificate in leadership and management skills) from Concordia University. During her career, she has honed her management skills while working at a number of large organizations, including Radio-Canada, Vidéotron and Énergir. Her career has been one of constant evolution, having played an executive role in support of numerous organizational and digital transformations and major mandates in the areas of corporate imaging, community relations and institutional positioning.
Ms. Bouthillette has applied her unifying leadership style in managing several major projects. She played a key role in the implementation of regional communication teams at Radio-Canada, the development of the mobile phone market in Ottawa for Vidéotron, the design and deployment of the Helix brand and the launch of new business lines at Énergir, among other accomplishments.
Her work has been recognized with honours from the Créa and Idéa competitions and the Marketing Canada Awards. She also won the CBC/Radio-Canada President’s Award for the inauguration of the integrated Est-du-Québec station. Annie Bouthillette joined the ÉTS management team in October 2021.
CHRISTIAN CASANOVA, Vice President of Research and Partnerships
Christian Casanova has accumulated more than 30 years of research experience, holds a PhD in Neurobiology of the Visual System from Université de Montréal (UdeM) and has pursued post-doctoral studies at the University of California at Berkeley and at McGill University. He started his career as a Professor in 1990 in the Ophthalmology Department at Université de Sherbrooke, and five years later, he joined the École d’optométrie (school of optometry) at UdeM, where he was appointed to the position of Director in 2011. Christian was a driving force behind the first Doctoral program in Visual Sciences in Québec, and is a member of the Institut de génie biomédical (biomedical engineering institute) at UdeM and École Polytechnique. An ardent promoter of intersectoral and partnership-based research, his creation of virtual-reality training laboratories is seen as a significant contribution to the field of engineering.
Christian Casanova has been successful in obtaining financing to fund the growth of a number of research units, including the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l’apprentissage (CIRCA – interdisciplinary brain and learning research centre ), which he founded and headed, and the Groupe de recherche en sciences de la vision (visual sciences research group) at UdeM. He also obtained a sizeable grant from the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation that was used for the construction of new research facilities for the school of optometry at UdeM.
GHYSLAIN GAGNON, Dean of Research
Professor Ghyslain Gagnon is a graduate of the Electrical Engineering Department at ÉTS and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University. He is a Researcher and member of the Hexagram and ReSMIQ networks, and a member of the NSERC Leaders network. Driven by a commitment to multidisciplinary research and partnerships, he has contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of integrated circuits and machine learning, and has been involved in the creation of internationally nominated and exhibited works of art based on technology. Working in collaboration with SIG.NUM and Concordia University, he was honoured with the 2020 ADRIQ Partnership Award for a research project aimed at creating an electrocardiogram system that is more accessible to the general public.
From 2013 to 2020, Ghyslain Gagnon headed the Communications and Microelectronic Integration Laboratory (LACIME), which unites 15 professors and more than 100 students and researchers. In carrying out this mandate, he worked to expand the research interests of the Laboratory and enhance the expertise of its members. Thanks to the significant funding that was obtained, he was instrumental in equipping the Laboratory with a leading-edge research infrastructure that is unique in the field of cyberphysical systems in Canada.
As Dean of Research at ÉTS since 2020, Ghyslain Gagnon is responsible for the creation of the Marcelle-Gauvreau Engineering Research Chairs Program, which focuses on determination and resiliency as indicators of development potential.
MICHEL HUNEAULT, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Michel Huneault has been Director of Academic Affairs at ÉTS since January 2018. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Université Laval and a master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. From 2012-2018, he was Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnological Engineering at Université de Sherbrooke, a department in which he was also a full professor beginning in 2009. Previously, he was employed by the National Resource Council Canada (NRCC), where he directed a research group.
MARIE-JOSÉ NOLLET, Dean of Studies
Marie-José Nollet has been Dean of Studies at ÉTS since April 2019. She holds a Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Université Laval and a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from McGill University.
As a Professor in the Construction Engineering Department at ÉTS from 1995 to 2019, she taught undergraduate and graduate students, along with practicing engineers pursuing continuing education, before taking over responsibility for the Dean of Studies Office. Her research activities, which focus on assessing the seismic vulnerability of structures and studying seismic risk in urban environments, have led to collaborations with a number of partners, including the Geological Survey of Canada and the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec.
From 2013 to 2017, Marie-José Nollet held the position of Graduate Program Director in Construction Engineering at ÉTS, during which time she oversaw a complete overhaul of graduate programs and sat on various committees. In addition to having taught more than 60 graduate and post-graduate students, she has also authored close to 200 articles. Marie-José Nollet was a Structural Engineer at Hydro-Québec before she joined ÉTS.
CÉDRICK PAUTEL, Secretary General
Cédrick Pautel has acted as ÉTS Secretary General since 2017. Mr. Pautel, who holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Université de Montréal and a master’s in public administration from the École nationale d’administration publique (ÉNAP - National School of Public Administration), also acted as Chief of Staff for the ÉTS Director General’s Office. Previously, he held a number of positions in the academic world, in particular Advisor to the Vice President of Education and Research at Université du Québec; Primary Research Fellow and Policy Analyst at the CREPUQ (now the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire - BCI, or the Interuniversity Cooperation Bureau); Director of Planning, Policies and Legal Affairs at the Association of Universities and Colleges Canada (now Universities Canada).