After a 40-year career as a business executive, Françoise Bertrand now dedicates her time to acting as a corporate director.

Since the spring of 2017, Ms. Bertrand has been the Chair of the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada. In addition, she is a Strategic Advisor to the Leadership Institute, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ordre National du Québec and Concordia University.

She has served as President and Chief Executive Officer for several organizations, including the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the Télé-Québec broadcasting corporation. She is a former dean of Université du Québec à Montréal. She also spent a few years working for consulting firms, notably for KPMG and as a partner with Groupe Secor.

Ms. Bertrand holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Université de Montréal and a master’s degree in environmental studies from York University. She capped off her academic career at the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Throughout her career, Ms. Bertrand has been recognized with several significant honours, most notably, Officer of the Order of Canada, Knight of the National Order of Québec and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour of France. She also received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University and was awarded the title of Fellow by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). In 2020, she received the title of Commander of the Ordre de Montréal.