Héroux-Devtek Inc. of Longueuil, Québec, plans to appoint Martin Brassard, as President and CEO, on June 1, 2019, succeeding Gilles Labbé who is set to become executive chairman of the board. Labbé has held the positions of president, CEO and director of Héroux-Devtek since June 2000. Previous to the acquisition of Devtek in that year, he was president and CEO of Héroux Inc. since 1989.
“Gilles is a true entrepreneur and pioneer. Under his direction, Héroux-Devtek has grown to become the third largest manufacturer of landing gear systems in the world,” said Brian Robbins, chairman of the board of Héroux-Devtek. “On behalf of the board of directors and the employees of Héroux-Devtek, I would like to thank him for his leadership and dedication and congratulate him for his many great accomplishments.” Robbins is to become lead director of the board on June 1, 2019.
Brassard has been with the corporate entity since 1994, starting as a divisional controller. He participated in the restructuring of the company’s Longueuil plant and the implementation of the ERP systems. He was appointed VP, control and information technology in 1999, a position he held for next six years. Brassard then spent the next nine years as VP and GM of the Landing Gear Division. In 2014, he was promoted to VP and COO of Héroux-Devtek.
“[Brassard has] developed solid relationships with our employees, our customers and numerous partners while playing a pivotal role in developing our strategy and winning and delivering on long-term contracts, most notably for the Boeing 777 and 777x programs,” said Labbé. “Our board of directors is entirely confident that his extensive relationships with all stakeholders, his dedication and deep knowledge of our business’ entire value chain uniquely qualify him to step into the role of CEO.”
In addition to its head office in Longueuil, Héroux-Devtek holds facilities in the Greater Montreal area (Longueuil, Laval and St-Hubert); Kitchener, Cambridge and Toronto, Ontario; Springfield and Strongsville, Ohio; Wichita, Kansas; Everett, Washington; Livonia, Michigan; Runcorn, Nottingham and Bolton, United Kingdom; and Madrid and Seville, Spain. Approximately 90 per cent of the corporation’s sales are outside of Canada, including about 50 per cent in the United States.
