(Quebec) The perilous mission of restoring the health network does not seem to discourage candidates from applying for the position of first big boss of Santé Québec. More than fifty “top gun” aspirants sent their applications to Quebec.
A total of 56 candidates have already sent their curriculum vitae to the Secrétariat aux emploi supérieur to become president and CEO of Santé Québec, the future state corporation that will manage the entire operational aspect of the health and social services network. .
The 13 vacancies on the board of directors of Santé Québec are also coveted, with 600 people applying to sit there, we learned.
Santé Québec will become the sole employer of the health network, which has some 330,000 employees, making it one of the largest employers in the country.
The Legault government has spared no expense in attracting a “top gun” from the private sector to head the state-owned company. Minister Christian Dubé’s wish is to find a candidate from outside the health network to occupy this position.
At the beginning of the year, Quebec revealed that the big boss of Santé Québec will receive a base salary of $567,000 per year, in addition to a 15% bonus for the first two years of his mandate, which is equivalent to to nearly $652,000 annually.
In comparison, the annual salary of Hydro-Québec CEO Michael Sabia is $639,000.
For now, the name of Nathalie Palladitcheff, who is currently president and CEO of Ivanhoé Cambridge – the real estate arm of the Caisse de dépôt et placement (CDPQ) – is circulating behind the scenes to occupy this high position.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Nathalie Palladitcheff
Mme Palladitcheff also announced that she will leave CDPQ next April following the integration of Ivanhoé Cambridge’s real estate activities into CDPQ. Minister Christian Dubé said last December that he expected this key position to be filled in March or April. The application period for this position ends on 1er March.
In the press release announcing the governance changes, Nathalie Palladitcheff writes that she will end her mandate after having led over the last four years “a major transformation of Ivanhoé Cambridge in a period of profound change [dans ce] sector”.
It is certain that the future big boss of Santé Québec will have to bring about a cultural change within the health and social services network. In the call for applications, it is indicated that he must also demonstrate “several experiences” which have enabled him to acquire “the skills required to successfully carry out a major organizational transformation project”.
On the Ivanhoé Cambridge website, we can read that Mme Palladitcheff “leads the overall strategy, growth and evolution of the Company.” She joined Ivanhoé Cambridge in 2015, after a “brilliant career in France and the Indian Ocean”. Between 2015 and 2019, she also led the company’s digital shift from a “sustainable and future-oriented performance perspective”.
Mme Palladitcheff also sits on the board of directors of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
Extension for the CA
The nomination period for positions on the board of directors of Santé Québec has also been extended by one week and will instead end on February 16. The future CA has 13 positions. The President and CEO and the Deputy Minister of Health will also be at the board table.
Santé Québec will be created after the appointment of the president and CEO and members of the board of directors in the spring. At the same time, we will begin the gradual transfer of MSSS staff to the agency.
The entire Santé Québec management team will be appointed in the summer of 2024.