(Quebec) The Legault government appoints Pierre Despars as interim CEO of Hydro-Quebec, to replace Sophie Brochu who will leave her post on April 11. He is currently Executive Vice President, Strategies and Development, of the Crown corporation, since 2020.
The Legault government wanted to find a new boss “as quickly as possible” to succeed Sophie Brochu, who announced her resignation in January, but the process will stretch beyond April 11. This is why the Council of Ministers proceeded to the appointment of Mr. Despars on Wednesday, during its weekly meeting. He will take office on April 11.
Before joining Hydro-Québec in 2020, Pierre Despars worked for many years at Énergir (formerly Gaz Métro).
At Hydro-Québec, Mr. Despars contributed to the development of the 2022-2026 strategic plan. He was also involved in closing the New York City Electricity Supply Agreement and the acquisition of Great River Hydro in New England.
In the last few days, the Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, had mentioned that candidates were being considered by the board of directors of Hydro-Québec, which would make a recommendation to the government, but that he did not There was no specific timeline as to when the process should be completed.
In the meantime, Mr. Despars “has the necessary experience” to act as interim until the appointment of the next big boss of Hydro-Québec, comments the minister on Twitter.
The chair of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec, Jacynthe Côté, confirmed in a press release that the selection process to find the person who will lead the state-owned company is ongoing.
Recall that M.me Côté is also leaving the company at the end of her mandate, which ends in May. In February, the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Hydro-Québec, Éric Filion, accepted a position with Bombardier.
With The Canadian Press