Board & Leadership

President & CEO, Savaria

Sébastien Bourassa was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Savaria effective January 1st, 2024. Previously, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer. He began his career at Savaria as a teenager in a hands-on role installing stair lifts and later managing the Montréal sales office. With his keen vision for the future, Mr. Bourassa suggested that Savaria establish a presence in China to gain competitive advantages for production and supplier relationships. He opened a division in China in 2007 called Savaria Huizhou, which enabled the Corporation to improve its efficiency by building subassemblies for its North American elevating and lift products while working closely with local suppliers to ensure quality standards were met. Mr. Bourassa lived in China from 2009 to 2015. This initiative has provided critical advantages for the Corporation and the division has continuously grown in size. Mr. Bourassa has a BBA from HEC Montréal as well as an EMBA from Ivey Business School (Hong Kong).

Consulting Partner, Bourassa Boyer Inc.

Jean-Marie Bourassa is Consulting Partner at Bourassa Boyer Inc. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Savaria from January 2002 to May 2019. He cofounded Bourassa Boyer Inc., chartered accountants in 1980 and served as President until 2018 when he became a consulting partner for the firm. He sits on the board of directors for 5N Plus Inc., a public Canadian corporation listed on the TSX. He has been chairman of the audit and risk management committee for 5N since 2007. Mr. Bourassa served in various roles at the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care Residence Foundation from 2010 to 2016 including chairman, co-president and president. He is a chartered professional accountant with a Bachelor of Business Administration from HEC Montréal and holds a certificate of corporate governance from Laval University.

(Retired) President, KanKare Home Services

Peter Drutz recently retired as President of KanKare Home Service Inc. (dba Comfort Keepers), a national provider of in-home care for seniors, which he owned and was employed since 2004. He was Executive Vice President of Retail at Indigo Books and Music Inc. from 2003 to 2004 where he was responsible for the retail operations of 275 Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores in Canada. Prior to joining Indigo, he was President of OutThink, Inc. a marketing and strategy firm. Mr. Drutz held progressively responsible positions at Amex Canada Inc for 20 years. In his later tenure, he was Vice President and General Manager of the Travel Services Network and a member of the Canadian Executive Team. Mr. Drutz has served on the Board of Savaria since 2002, and has served on the Board of Amex Bank of Canada. In the not-for-profit sector, he is currently Chair of the Governors of Temple Har Zion, a Director of B’nai Brith Canada and a previous Director of Bayview Golf and Country Club. Mr. Drutz has an MBA from York University, an Honours BA from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Human Resources and Labour Relations.

President, Saraguay Investments Inc.

Jean-Louis Chapdelaine founded Saraguay Investments Inc. in 1977 and serves as President. Through his company, he has applied his entrepreneurial, financial and operational management skills to a variety of endeavours including investments in real estate and retail markets. Mr. Chapdelaine graduated from the Institute of Graphic Arts in Montréal.

Consultant

Sylvain Dumoulin is a consultant in the real estate and construction industry. He gained experience in public companies at Grilli Property Group Inc., holding various positions from 1989 to 2002, serving the last four years as Vice President of Finance and a member of the Board of Directors. During this period, he was actively involved in the issuance of shares on the stock market in 1992 and in the financial restructuring of the company implemented in 1996, which lasted several years. Mr. Dumoulin began his career at Raymond, Chabot, Martin, Paré (now Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton) as an auditor from 1986 to 1989 after obtaining a BBA from HEC Montréal. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Real Estate & Financial Consultant

Alain Tremblay is Vice-President, Acquisitions and Development at Gestion Benoit Dumoulin, a construction and real estate developer. He previously acted as a consultant in the real estate and construction industry. Before that, he has held financial management roles including CFO for the group Résidences des Bâtisseurs, owner operators of senior living homes, CFO for Brigil and Senior VP of Finance and Operations at Gestion Benoit Dumoulin. His past financial roles include Finance Director of Internal Audit for Provigo/Loblaw Companies and Controller for Gildan Activewear. Mr. Tremblay holds a BA in accounting from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a university Certification in Corporate Governance from Université Laval. He is a CPA of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Québec, Certified Corporate Director (ASC) of the College of Corporate Directors at Université Laval, and Chartered Director (C. Dir.) of The Directors College.

Managing Partner, HJM Asia Law LLC

Caroline Bérubé is managing director of HJM Asia Law with offices in Singapore and Guangzhou, China. With more than 26 years in Asia between Singapore, Thailand and China, she has become the go-to source for many mid cap companies and PE firms wanting to grow the Asian market and navigate the Asian legal landscape successfully. Ms. Bérubé has an established reputation in the international business community as an entrepreneur of 5 start-ups (tech start up sold in 2013, manufacturing in China, etc.), an expert advisor on M&A cross-border transactions, commercial law, technology transfer and intellectual property matters. She is a regular speaker at international conferences and is a visiting professor at Bocconi University and the Sorbonne Assas Law School. She authored the practical book “Doing Business in China” and has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers. Ms. Bérubé is an active member of the international business community, past president and current Chairman of the Canadian Singapore Chamber of Commerce and is the appointed legal advisor of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Ms. Bérubé is on the board of the China and Taiwan entities of a luxurious Swiss watch brand and of various private companies in Asia bringing her M&A, IP, compliance and knowledge of Asia. In 2015, Ms. Bérubé was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is now on the regional advisory board.

EVP People & Culture, BRP

Anne Le Breton has been Executive Vice-President, People & Culture for BRP since 2016, responsible for all aspects of human resources for over 20,000 employees worldwide. Her experience acquired during her assignment in Switzerland, when BRP entrusted her with the global human resources management for its international division, helped form her global worldview and her willingness to work with diverse teams. Her strong knowledge and expertise in management and interdisciplinary collaboration have been key in the success of several growth and transformation projects where she has contributed over the past few years. She is a member of the Management Committee and a participant to a subcommittee of the BRP Board. Ms. Le Breton was previously on the Board of Directors of Barrette Outdoor Living, North American leader in the outdoor product industry. Before joining BRP, Ms. Le Breton worked for Bombardier Aerospace as Human Resources Manager in Canada and the United States. She holds a BA in Industrial Relations from the University of Montréal.

CFO, Hexatronic Group

Pernilla Lindén currently serves as CFO for Hexatronic Group, headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. Formerly the CFO of Handicare Group (2019-2021), Ms. Lindén has significant experience in European and global markets, particularly in the healthcare sector. Her past roles included responsibilities for operational efficiencies and supporting multi-national management teams for both public and private enterprise. She progressed through various senior financial management roles at Mölnlycke Health Care over 11 years, and prior to that held financial and business management positions at Tudor AB. She has a BS in Business and Economics from the University of Gothenburg.

President and CEO

Mr. Sebastien Bourassa oversees all business segments to help meet sales and profitability targets, as well as helps ensure that strategic initiatives are communicated and implemented across all divisions of Savaria, promoting a teamwork culture. He was instrumental in setting up operations for Savaria in China in 2007. This initiative has provided critical advantages for Savaria and Savaria Huizhou has continuously grown in size. He has a BBA from HEC Montreal and an EMBA from Ivey Business School in Hong Kong.

CFO

Mr. Reitknecht assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer for Savaria Corporation in September 2020 and is responsible for providing strategic financial leadership for the company. Prior to joining Savaria, Mr. Reitknecht worked for global and Canadian public and privately-held companies spanning multiple industries including medical device manufacturing, wholesale distribution and technology services. Mr. Reitknecht has a B. Comm. in economics and is a designated accountant in Ontario, Canada (CPA, CA).

CTO & President, Europe Accessibility

Mr. Jean-Philippe DeMontigny joined Savaria as Chief Transformation Officer in January 2024. Prior to joining Savaria, Jean-Philippe was a partner at McKinsey & Company starting his career with them in 2004. He has extensive experience in creating successful growth acceleration strategies for manufacturing companies of similar sizes to Savaria. He has expertise in optimizing procurement and supply chain management as well as organization design. Mr. DeMontigny has an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Commerce from HEC Montreal.

President, North America Accessibility

Mr. Alex Bourassa oversees worldwide dealer sales of the elevator and lift division as well as direct store operations in North America and Australia. Under his strong leadership, dealer sales have continued to grow and distribution has strengthened across the U.S. market. His acumen for sales and product knowledge has contributed to the leadership position Savaria enjoys today.

Group President - Patient Care

Mr. Teague joined Savaria in 2017 following the acquisition by Savaria of Span America Medical Systems. At that time, he was Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Teague was named President of Span America January 1, 2021. Prior to joining Span America, he held a variety of roles, including President, of a large manufacturer and packager of personal care products. Mr. Teague has an undergraduate degree in Biology from The University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Vice-President Finance, Europe (Accessibility Segment)

Mr. Temple joined Savaria in 2021 following the acquisition by Savaria of Handicare AB. He began his career with Handicare in 2011 as Finance Director of the UK division, and has held various roles in the finance function, the most recent of which is Vice President of Finance for Accessibility in Europe. Previously he had worked in similar roles for Doncasters, CommaTech, and Royal Worcester and Spode. Mr. Temple has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Management Sciences and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Aubry holds more than 20 years of experience in corporate, M&A and securities laws having worked mainly for publicly traded companies. He joined Savaria in March 2018 and is responsible for providing strategic legal leadership for the company. Prior to joining Savaria, he held the position of Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. from 2004 to 2018. Prior to, Mr. Aubry has worked for global and Canadian public and privately held companies spanning multiple industries. Mr. Aubry has a Law bachelor’s degree and is a member of the Québec Bar.