Governance
of the IRCM

Luc Boileau

President and Chief Executive Officer, Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux

Luc Boileau is President and Chief Executive Officer at the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux. He obtained his MD from Université de Sherbrooke and is a specialist in public health. Over the past 25 years, he gained extensive experience in the management of health care facilities and public health organizations, as well as in the regional governance of health systems. 

Dr. Boileau has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since 2013. He is also a member of the Scientific Committee.

Véronique Boileau

Vice President, Communications and Branding, Pomerleau

Véronique Boileau is Vice President, Communications and Branding for Pomerleau.

Before joining Pomerleau, Ms. Boileau was Vice President, Communication for Agropur and Director of Public Relations for the OSM.  She previously worked in communications firms, including CASACOM.  She also worked for the French diplomatic services in New York.  At the beginning of her career, she was a press officer and political advisor for the Government of Quebec.

Ms. Boileau is a member of the IRCM’s Board of Directors since December 2019.

André Couillard

President, IRCM Foundation; Corporate Director

André Couillard was Vice-President, Executive Search & Recruitment Solutions at Optimum Talent, from 1998 to 2020. He worked as Associate and Associate Director for three national/international executive search firms, in Ottawa and in Montreal. His previous business experience includes executive positions in Operations and Human Resources for national and international corporations, including Sears Canada, Le Château Stores, Shirmax, Henry Birks and Sons Ltd., and Bell Canada.

Former President and member of the Board of Directors of the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la Capitale nationale (Ottawa), he was/is a board member or member of the advisory committee for several organizations, including the Montreal Kidney Foundation, the Conseil québécois du commerce de détail, Le refuge des jeunes de Montréal, The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation, and was a founding member of Destination Centre-ville (Montréal).

Mr. Couillard has been president of the IRCM Foundation’s Board of Directors since June 2013 (Board Member since 2009) and is a member of the Ad Hoc Recruitment Committee and of the Ad Hoc Major and Exceptional Donations Committee.

He has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since June 2013 and is a member of the IRCM Human Resources Committee.

Philippe Crine

President, Crine Consultant

Philippe Crine is President of Crine Consultant, a firm specializing in business development strategies for North American and European companies. With a vast expertise in research and the pharmaceutical industry, he has held several positions including Vice-President of research and Chief Scientific Officer at Enobia Pharma, as well as Founding President of BioMep, a spinoff of his research activities at the Université de Montréal.

Dr. Crine holds a Master’s and a doctorate degree in biochemistry from the Université de Montréal, and conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at the IRCM under Dr. Michel Chrétien’s supervision. He has published several scientific articles and obtained numerous patents throughout his academic career.

He has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since 2015 and is member of the Human Resources Committee and of the Scientific Committee.

Michel Décary

Chair of the IRCM Governance Committee, member of the IRCM Executive Committee, Consulting partner, BCF law firm

Michel Décary’s experience as a pleader has run the gamut of Canadian courts at all levels up to and including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as provincial and federal administrative tribunals and domestic arbitration tribunals, in matters regarding corporate, commercial and securities law. He has either acted as counsel or represented witnesses before several public inquiries such as Cliche, Malouf, Gomery and Johnson.

Throughout his career, Mr. Décary has been a Board member for various companies and organizations. Today, he is a member of the Board for National Public Relations and the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations. 

He is a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since 2014. He chairs the Governance Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Pierre Duplessis

Chairman of the IRCM Board, IRCM; Management and Public Health Consultant

Pierre Duplessis is a Management Consultant specializing in public health and the implementation of development projects at a national and international level. He is also Adjunct Professor for the School of public health at the Université de Montréal. He holds a MD degree from the Université de Montréal, a Master’s in public health from Harvard University and a specialty in community medicine from the Université Laval.

Dr. Duplessis started his career in clinical medicine, became public health specialist in the early 1980s and spent 20 years of his career in health care management from 1990-2010. He held several positions including Senior Medical Advisor to the Deputy Minister for the Quebec ministry of Health and Social services, Deputy Secretary General for the Quebec College of Physicians, and Secretary General and CEO for the Canadian Red Cross Society. Dr. Duplessis has gained over 30 years of teaching experience at McGill University, the Université de Montréal and University of Ottawa. For the past several years, he volunteers with various non-profit organizations and currently chairs the Board of Directors of CellCAN. In 2002, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Gold Jubilee Medal.

Dr. Duplessis has been a member of the Board since December 2015, and Chairman since June 2017. He is also member of the Executive Committee and of the Governance Committee.

Marinella Ermacora

President of the IRCM Human Ressources Committee, Businesswoman and Corporate Director. Former President, Createch, a Bell Canada society.

Marinella Ermacora is a Corporate Director with extensive executive experience acquired in dynamic corporations (Fujitsu, CGI, and Bell Canada), and who acted as President at Createch, a Bell Canada company. Over the past 35 years, as an energetic and action-oriented leader, she combined information technology and business to improve innovation, cost savings, operational improvements and growth. She excels in governance, business development, project management, negotiations, process reengineering and business transformation. Marinella Ermacora is known for her inspiring leadership as well as her ability to mobilize and influence others towards common success.  A Certified Director (ICD.D) by the Institute of Corporate Directors (McGill-Rotman), Ms. Ermacora sits on the boards of GHGSat and Capital Régional et Coopératif Desjardins.

Ms. Ermacora was a member of the IRCM Foundation Board of Directors from 2010 to 2017. She has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since September 2017. She is also President of the IRCM Human Ressources Committee and a member of the IRCM Executive Committee.

Brian Z. Gelfand

Financial Market Professional

Brian Z. Gelfand is a senior executive in the derivatives exchange sector with leadership experience in all aspects of options and futures markets. He held several positions including Chief Commercial Officer at the Canadien Depository for Securities.

He is a member of the Bars of Quebec, New York and Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Common Law from McGill University, as well as an M.A. in international relations from the John Hopkins University. He is an active member of several professional and community organizations, including the Toronto Centre’s Securities Program Advisory Board, AIMA Canada’s Education and Research Committee, and the Roaster’s Foundation. 

Mr. Gelfand has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since June 2012 and is a member of the Governance Committee.

Lolita Guerrera

Vice President Commercial Markets Retail, Consumer Services & Franchises. RBC Royal Bank

Lolita Guerrera has been at RBC for the past 17 years, where she has held numerous positions in different regions in Quebec. Over the years, she has occupied the role of Market Manager, Life Science, Senior Financing Specialist covering numerous industries, Manager Initiatives and Implementation working on Strategy for Commercial banking for the province of Quebec. She has an MBA and Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Human Resources. She completed the 100-day Challenge of L’Effet A, an innovative professional development program that aims to propel ambitious women in business.

Ms Guerrera is extremely involved in the community. For the last 2 years, she is the co-chair of the Centraide campaign at RBC in Quebec. This year, a record amount of $1.5 million was raised. She is also Vice President Community for the Employee Resource Group, RBC Next Gen which helps employees in their 20s and 30s to build connections with peers and leaders while creating a positive impact within RBC and in the community. Twice, Ms. Guerrera was the recipient of the RBC Congress Award and was also received the highest prize at RBC, the Leo Award.

Ms Guerrera has been member of the IRCM Board of Directors since January 2018.

Daniel Jutras

Rector, Université de Montréal

Graduate in law from Université de Montréal and Harvard University, Daniel Jutras taught at the McGill Faculty of Law from 1985 to 2020, where he held the Wainwright Chair in Civil Law for ten years. From 2009 to 2016, he served as dean of the McGill Faculty of Law, successfully carrying out a major reform of its teaching programs and completing a campaign that raised over $35 million. Specialist in civil and comparative law, Daniel Jutras has devoted his research work to judicial institutions and dispute resolution issues, from a comparative and pluralistic perspective. He was director of the Institute of Comparative Law at McGill University from 1998 to 2002.

From 2002 to 2004, Professor Jutras was on leave from the Faculty of Law to serve as executive legal officer for the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin. He has appeared before the Supreme Court on two occasions at the invitation of the Court. He sat on the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments from 2016 to 2018 and acted as an ethics consultant to the Canadian Judicial Council. 

With his recognized expertise in academic governance, Professor Jutras has served on a number of independent audit committees for top-ranked institutions such as Harvard University, HEC Paris and, in Canada, the faculties of law at the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and Queen’s University. 

Recently, in recognition of his contributions to university life, Canadian political life and innovation in teaching, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. As a professor at McGill, Daniel Jutras received an award for excellence in teaching. The Barreau du Québec awarded him its Advocatus emeritus distinction in 2014 and its Mérite award in 2016. He was also awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013. 

Christine Le Jeune

Senior Vice President, Branch Manager, CIBC Wood Gundy

Christine Le Jeune holds a BBA in Professional Accounting from HEC Montréal and is a Certified Management Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst. She is also a Certified Corporate Director (CSA), having completed the corporate governance university certification program at the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés de l'Université Laval.
 
Ms. Le Jeune has worked in the financial industry for over 25 years, having acquired her experience in banking as well as in full-service brokerage, where she spent most of her career. She has a solid understanding of industry issues through her extensive experience leading teams, involvement on strategic steering committees within her jobs as well as on several industry committees and councils, and having designed, established and led divisions and departments.  
 
Ms Le Jeune has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since June 2008.

Michel Lespérance

Member of the IRCM Governance Committee, Member of the Executive Committee, Corporate Director

Lawyer and member of the Québec Bar since 1967, Michel Lespérance pursued his career at the Université de Montréal, where he was assistant Secretary-General, assistant to the Vice-Rector of administration, and Secretary-General of the university. He retired in 2005 and was appointed Secretary-General Emeritus of the Université in April 2008.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lespérance served on the several Boards of Directors, including that of the École Polytechnique de Montréal, the CÉGEP de Saint-Laurent and the Caisse populaire Côte-des-Neiges. He is Secretary of the Advisory Board for the Autorité des marches financiers and has been a member of several associations, such as the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the Groupement international des secrétaires généraux des universités francophones.

Mr. Lespérance has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since June 2011. He is also a member of the Human Ressources Committee, the Executive Committee and the Governance Committee.

Richard Mayrand

Vice-Chair of the IRCM Board, President of the IRCM Scientific Committee, Corporate Director

Richard Mayrand has been working since 1996 for The Jean Coutu Group, where he holds the position of Executive Vice President, Pharmacy and Governmental Affairs. He is mandated to establish and maintain the Jean Coutu Network leadership in pharmaceutical services. Mr. Mayrand is a member of the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec. He is also a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés and a Fellow of the Ordre des administrateurs agréés. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University.

A graduate of the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés with the ASC designation, he chairs the Board of Directors of the Association des bannières et des chaînes de pharmacies du Québec and serves on the Board of Directors of the Société de soins palliatifs à domicile du Grand Montréal. Richard Mayrand has been teaching the Human Resource Management module at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Université de Montréal since 1996. In 2011, he was awarded the Louis-Hébert Prize by the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec in recognition for his contribution to the advancement of the pharmacy profession.

Mr. Mayrand is Vice-Chair of the IRCM Board of Directors. He is also President of the Scientific Committee and a member of the Governance Committee.

Richard Payette

Businessman and Corporate Director

Richard Payette is Director at Exportation et développement Canada - EDC. A graduate from HEC Montréal, Mr. Payette was previously President and CEO of Manulife Quebec and President and CEO for the Americas Region of BDO International, which includes Canada, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. He was also President and Chief Executive Officer of the large accounting and advisory firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton and a member of the board of directors of this international network. Building on this expertise, he was Chairman of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Among others, he is currently a member of the Presidents’ committee at the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association of Quebec, a member of the board of directors of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and YMCA Canada, as well as a governing member of Finance Montréal. In addition, his commitments to economic and social causes have earned Mr. Payette numerous awards from various organizations and from his peers.

Mr. Payette is member of the IRCM Board of Directors since January 2018.

Martin P. Rosenthal

Managing Partner, Transaction Advisory Services - Québec, EY

Martin P. Rosenthal is the Managing Partner of EY’s Transaction Advisory Services Group in Quebec. Mr. Rosenthal is also leader of EY’s Restructuring practices in Quebec. EY is a global professional services firm. 

For more than 25 years, Mr. Rosenthal has acted as an advisor to numerous companies facing business and financial challenged, and has provided advice in the areas of refinancing and strategic planning. His clients include most of the major financial institutions in the Montreal area as well as private equity firms and boards of directors of many companies in a variety of industries. Building on his strong qualifications and experience, he worked as a course coordinator and lecturer in McGill University’s Graduate Department of Chartered Accountancy.

Mr. Rosenthal has been a member of the IRCM Board of Directors since April 2017and he is President of the IRCM Audit Committee.