Board of Directors
Derek Aberle
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Derek Aberle’s experience includes senior executive roles in large, global technology companies, early-stage technology companies as well as the investment community.
Mr. Aberle spent 17 years at Qualcomm Incorporated, a global leader in mobile and related technologies and products, in a variety of senior executive roles. From 2014 to 2018, he served as President of Qualcomm with responsibility for all business units, including its licensing and semiconductor businesses, as well as its marketing organization and regional offices worldwide. Prior to that, Mr. Aberle served as EVP and Group President and as EVP and President of Qualcomm Technology Licensing. He was a member of Qualcomm’s executive committee for over a decade, helping to drive the company’s overall strategy. He led many of Qualcomm’s global growth initiatives, including in markets beyond smartphones as well as its expansion in China. He also led Qualcomm’s technology and IP licensing business through a period of tremendous growth and profitability, established its 4G and 5G licensing programs, and structured and negotiated Qualcomm’s major license and other strategic agreements. Since leaving Qualcomm, Mr. Aberle co-founded Virewirx, Inc. (formerly XCOM Labs), a company focused on developing and commercializing advanced wireless technologies, where he presently serves as Executive Vice Chairperson. He also was the CEO of Prospector Capital Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company that completed a business combination with LeddarTech in December 2023.
Mr. Aberle holds a B.A. in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. In addition to LeddarTech, he is a board member for InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC), Virewirx, Inc., the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and EvoNexus (a Southern California incubator).
Charles Boulanger
Board Member
A serial entrepreneur who has successfully raised over $650M in financing and completed several acquisitions and sales transactions, including two IPOs and one management-leveraged buyout (MLBO), Charles has over 35 years of experience in senior management positions in several sectors, especially in the high-tech industry, with listed and private companies.
Charles served as CEO of LeddarTech from 2012 to December 2023. Since 2011, he has served as President of Moody Management Inc., a private investment firm. Before LeddarTech, Charles was the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Unipex SAS as of 2008. He was President of the Active Ingredients and Specialty Chemicals Division of Atrium Innovations (TSX: ATB) from 2004 to 2008. Before joining Atrium, Charles was the Founder and President of Quebec International following a partnership with Phénix Capital.
Charles is active in the investment and entrepreneurship sectors with a direct investment portfolio of about 15 companies and his participation as a sponsor/investor in three separate investment funds. He is currently on the Board of Chimie ParaChem, Pieridae Energy, Averna Technologies and LeddarTech.
Frantz Saintellemy, C.M.
Board Member
Frantz joined LeddarTech in September 2017, having previously served as VP and General Manager of the Automotive and Industrial Division of Integrated Device Technology (NASDAQ: IDTI), a California-based company specializing in a broad array of complete mixed-signal solutions. Prior to IDT, Frantz was President and Executive VP of Global Sales and Marketing at ZMDI AG, a global supplier of MEMs-based sensor solutions for automotive and industrial applications, which was acquired by IDT in December 2015. Prior to ZMDI, Frantz was CTO and Corporate VP of Technical Marketing and Advanced Engineering Group at Future Electronics, a global distributor of semiconductors and passive, interconnect and electromechanical components.
Throughout his career, Frantz has produced numerous patents and technical innovations. He also founded and co-founded many successful start-ups and corporations, the likes of which include SMGT Inc., Q-Links Home Automation, Groupe Reno-Metrix, Capital Plus and OMNI Global, and sits on several boards and advisory committees.
Frantz holds degrees in electrical engineering, business and marketing, and is also a graduate of the MIT Sloan Engineering Fellows Program on Innovations and Global Leadership. He was appointed chancellor of the University of Montreal in October 2021.
Engineer, innovator and internationally recognized expert in advanced technologies, Frantz has 25 years of experience in the electronics and automotive sector, with specialized knowledge in automotive, autonomous driving, AI, IoT and automation applications, in addition to business and product development, applications engineering, global sales and marketing. A dedicated entrepreneur and philanthropist, he is also co-founder of Groupe 3737, an incubator and innovation center that houses more than 30 companies and start-ups, in addition to offering a framework for ideation to revenue generation.
Yann Delabrière
Board Member
Yann Delabrière joined the LeddarTech Board of Directors in February of 2021.
Mr. Delabrière possesses over 30 years of experience in senior executive positions in the aerospace, identity, security and automotive industries. He is presently a Non-Executive Director of ST Microelectronics. He also currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of IDEMIA, a global leader in augmented reality, where he previously served as President and CEO. Mr. Delabrière also acts as Lead Independent Director of Alstom S.A., an industry giant that develops and markets integrated systems that provide sustainable foundations for the future of transportation.
Mr. Delabrière’s previous senior and C-level experience in automotive is impressive. He was Chairman and CEO of Faurecia, a worldwide leader in automotive equipment, where his leadership led to the dramatic growth of the organization, particularly in North America and Asia, and restored its profitability and cash generation capabilities. Prior to Faurecia, Mr. Delabrière held the Chief Finance Officer position at PSA Peugeot Citroën, which eventually led to joining the newly created Executive Committee of the Group. In parallel to his position as CFO, Mr. Delabrière later became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PSA’s consumer finance unit.
Between 1983 and 2018, Mr. Delabrière also lent his executive experience to the aerospace, identity and security industries. From 2017 to 2018, he was Advisor to the Board then CEO of Zodiac Aerospace. During his tenure, Mr. Delabrière restructured and oversaw the company’s sale to Safran Group in 2018. At Capgemini, he also served as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the company’s audit committee. Mr. Delabrière previously occupied the roles of Non-Executive Director at Société Générale, Group CFO for the high-end retail group Printemps (now known as Kering) and CFO for the French export credit agency Coface after a term with the French Court of Auditors and three years within the French Foreign Trade Ministry beginning in 1983.
Mr. Delabrière holds a PhD in Mathematics, having graduated from the École Normale Supérieure and the École Nationale d’Administration. He is also a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) and Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (Officer of the National Order of Merit).
Nick Stone
Board Member
Mr. Nick Stone possesses over 20 years of experience in the investment industry and has been partner with FS Investors since 2010.
He previously served as Vice President of TPG Capital, one of the world’s largest private equity funds and an investment professional with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Co. and Morgan Stanley. As a result, Mr. Stone brings a wealth of knowledge in finance, global markets and high-level investing. He has been involved in investments totaling $20 billion and approximately $2.5 billion in equity capital during his successful career.
Mr. Stone graduated cum laude from Harvard, was an Arjay Miller Scholar at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and resides in La Jolla, California.
Michelle Sterling
Board Member
Michelle Sterling served as Senior and eventually Executive Vice-President of Human Resources for Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading wireless communications technology company, from 1994 until March 2020. In addition to her deep knowledge of executive compensation, CEO and executive leadership succession and talent management, Ms. Sterling has vast experience in the dynamic global technology market and complex business transactions, including acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures. Before joining Qualcomm, Ms. Sterling served in various human resources roles at ABB Traction and Manpower in the New York area.
In addition to LeddarTech, Ms. Sterling currently serves on the Board of Directors, Governance and Compensation and Human Capital Committees for Digital Turbine (Nasdaq: APPS) and formerly served on the Board of Directors, Security Committee and Chair of the Compensation Committee for TuSimple, an autonomous driving technology for the trucking industry (Nasdaq: TSP).
Ms. Sterling’s other service includes being a board member of the Corporate Directors Forum, Secretary and Executive Committee member for the Board of Directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Council, Board member for Girl Scouts San Diego, Chair of the Board of Directors for Serving Seniors, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Occupational Training Services (OTS), Chair of the Advisory Council for OTS and Chair of the Corporate Board of Directors for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, Meals on Wheels, San Diego. The YWCA also awarded her the TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) award. She was recognized as among the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the National Diversity Council and selected as one of San Diego’s Business Journal Top 500 Influential Business Leaders.
Ms. Sterling holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Redlands. She has also attended the Women on Boards program at Harvard Business School.
Sylvie Veilleux
Board Member
Ms. Veilleux is a strategic global technology leader and former CIO with over three decades of experience, holding top management positions at renowned, fast-growing technology firms. She served as the first Chief Information Officer at Dropbox (Nasdaq: DBX), led the IT division at Dropbox and developed the organization’s first global strategic and centralized IT function, enabling it to expand and scale before and after its IPO. She was also a key leader of the initiative that launched Dropbox’s “Virtual First with Hubs” working model, bringing its virtual workplace to life through technology solutions. Veilleux served in several critical technology roles at multinational firms such as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Salesforce (NYSE/Nasdaq: CRM), Mozilla and Franklin Templeton Investments (NYSE: BEN).
Ms. Veilleux was recognized by Forbes CIO NEXT 2021 Top 50, by Technology Magazine Top 100 Women in Technology 2021 and by the California Diversity Council in 2017 as a Distinguished Chief Information Officer.
In addition to LeddarTech, Ms. Veilleux is an active Board Member with Softchoice (TSX: SFTC), QScale and Prezi, Chairperson of the Board and Chair of the Compensation and Nomination Committee of Cinchy. Ms. Veilleux also served on Europcar Mobility Group’s Board when it was a publicly traded company.
Ms. Veilleux studied Computer Science at the College de Limoilou in Quebec City, Canada and attended the Directors College at Stanford University, California.
Lizabeth Ardisana
Board Member
With over three decades of entrepreneurial expertise, Lizabeth Ardisana stands as a seasoned business leader. She is the co-founder of ASG Renaissance, a distinguished technical and communications firm, and Performance Driven Workforce (PDW), a scheduling and staffing enterprise established in 2015 that has since expanded its footprint across five States.
Beyond her leadership roles at ASG and PDW, Ardisana is an influential figure in both the Michigan and Hispanic communities, actively contributing as a business and civic leader. Her commitment extends to serving on numerous corporate and educational boards, earning recognition through awards for her outstanding community contributions. Currently, she holds board positions at Clean Energy Fuels, HASI and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Her philanthropic endeavors include active involvement with NextEnergy, the Grand Canyon Conservancy, Kettering University and the CS Mott Foundation.
Lizabeth possesses a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Detroit, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Texas.
Engineer, innovator and internationally recognized expert in advanced technologies, Frantz has 25 years of experience in the electronics and automotive sector, with specialized knowledge in automotive, autonomous driving, AI, IoT and automation applications, in addition to business and product development, applications engineering, global sales and marketing. A dedicated entrepreneur and philanthropist, he is also co-founder of Groupe 3737, an incubator and innovation center that houses more than 30 companies and start-ups, in addition to offering a framework for ideation to revenue generation.
