Meet Our Executive Team

Frantz Saintellemy, C.M.

President and CEO

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.

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.

David Torralbo

Chief Legal Officer

 

David is a seasoned legal executive with over 20 years of experience specializing in corporate and securities law, public and private M&A, litigation, risk management and corporate governance.

He joined LeddarTech in 2022, previously serving as Chief Legal Officer at Nouveau Monde Graphite. Prior to that, David served as Vice-President, CLO and member of the executive committee of Atrium Innovations Inc., a partner in the corporate group at Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg, and earlier in his career, an associate in the London office of Clifford Chance.

Mr. Torralbo earned his Bachelor of Civil Law (LL.L.) and common law (LL.B.) at the University of Ottawa and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) from McGill University.

Pierre Olivier, Eng.

Chief Technology Officer

Pierre is recognized for his technical expertise as well as his vision. He has decades of experience in the development of high-tech products and is a well-known industry speaker at ADAS and AD technology events and conferences throughout North America and Europe.

Pierre has designed a high number of innovative, adaptable, practical and robust products used worldwide in strategic applications such as emergency dispatch and air traffic control. Before joining LeddarTech in 2010, he worked at DAP Technologies, Adept Technology Canada and CML Technologies. Pierre holds several patents.

As CTO, Pierre is also responsible for LeddarTech’s Global Operations and Mobility Solutions. Pierre holds a degree in electrical engineering from Université Laval and is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.

Chris Stewart

Chief Financial Officer

Chris has over 20 years of financial management experience at companies ranging from startups to large public companies. He previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Bionano Genomics, Inc. from September 2020 until joining LeddarTech in September 2023. Prior to that, Chris served as the Head of Maxwell Ultracapacitors at Tesla, Inc., a public electric vehicle and clean energy company, from May 2019 to July 2020, and as Vice President of Finance and Information Technology at Maxwell Technologies Inc., a public energy storage company, from July 2015 to May 2019 (at which point Tesla, Inc. acquired the company). In addition, Chris held multiple leadership roles, including Vice President of Finance at Entropic Communications and Chief Financial Officer of V-ENABLE Inc. (currently GroundTruth), a leader in targeted mobile advertising.

Chris received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

Antonio Polo

Sr. Vice-President, Product and Business Development

Antonio has over 25 years of international market experience in the high-tech and software industry, defining and executing successful strategies for innovation and development of award-winning products for the world’s fastest-moving technology organizations, including cloud service providers, global telecom operators, smart sensor developers, as well as multinational automotive Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.

Antonio joined LeddarTech as Vice-President, Engineering in June 2018, rapidly expanding the organization with a world-class automotive engineering team in new development centers in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Since joining, Antonio has also held the position of Vice-President and General Manager of the ADAS and AD Sensing Components business unit. In October 2022, he was appointed Vice-President of Software Engineering, transforming the company into an automotive software business model.

Before joining LeddarTech, Antonio served as Head of Software Engineering and System Engineering at EXFO, where he played a crucial role in expanding the software organization in Asia and positioning the company as the worldwide optical test solutions leader in the telecom industry. Before EXFO, Antonio served as Lead Software Engineer and Architect at Cubanacan S.A.

Antonio holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Software Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (Executive MBA) from Université Laval. He also undertook studies in the Executive Entrepreneurship Program at Babson College.

Daniel C. Aitken

Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications and Investor Relations

With more than 25 years’ experience in the technology industry, including strategic business development, marketing, communications as well as mergers and acquisitions, Daniel is responsible for the development and execution of the corporate marketing and communications plan and for sustaining corporate brand and strategic initiatives. In addition, Daniel manages the Investor Relations portfolio of LeddarTech, working closely with the Executive Management team.

Daniel began his marketing career in 1994 and transitioned into the technology industry in 1996, eventually becoming the Director of the Strategic Business Development unit of Future Electronics. As president of his own marketing agency, Daniel relocated to Los Angeles in 2008, where he provided consultancy services to various corporations. In 2012 he joined the German-based tech company ZMDI, where he successfully held the position of Director of Global Marketing and Communications. He later relocated in 2016 to Silicon Valley to lead the marketing efforts of Integrated Device Technology as Senior Director of the division. Daniel’s efforts at both ZMDI and IDT contributed significantly to their eventual individual acquisitions.

Daniel joined LeddarTech in 2018 as Vice-President of Global Marketing and Communications. In 2020 the role of interim VP of Product Line Management was added to his portfolio until 2022. In January of 2022 he was promoted to the position of Vice-President of Global Marketing, Communications and Investor Relations.

Michael Poulin, Eng.

Vice-President, Corporate Strategy and Development

Michael has over 20 years of experience in software-centric technology companies, having held various positions in fast-growing start-up environments in the telecommunications, medical devices and ADAS/AD markets.

Since joining LeddarTech, Michael has held several key roles, including executive leadership positions in product development, product management, business development, sales, strategic partnerships and corporate development. He played an instrumental role in developing the LeddarEngine™, the Leddar™ Ecosystem and partnerships with leading technology companies, automotive Tier-1s/Tier-2s and semiconductor suppliers. In addition, Michael has experience leading acquisitions that have strengthened LeddarTech’s position as a leader in environmental sensing, including sensor fusion and perception software.

Michael holds a degree in electrical engineering from Université Laval and is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.

Marie-Pier Fortier

Vice-President, Human Resources 

As the Vice-President of Human Resources, Marie-Pier oversees the development of HR practices and strategies and is responsible for the overall global management of LeddarTech’s talent portfolio. She has over 15 years of experience as a leader in human resource management in fast-growing global companies. She is an HR leader with an operational sense of how to turn vision into action. She has expertise in team development and process management, including implementing effective recruitment, resource management and human capital program development.

Before joining LeddarTech in 2017 as the company’s first Head of HR, Marie-Pier worked internationally, stationed in London, U.K., before joining Activision Blizzard, a leading American videogame publishing company headquartered in California. She holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Industrial Relations and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Management with a major in Human Resources.

Marie-Pier has played a vital role in the organization’s successful growth, building our HR department from the ground up. She possesses a proven track record of commitment towards our employees, customers and shareholders.

Oren Dayan

Vice-President, Product Line Management and Business Development

Oren possesses over 20 years of leadership experience and over ten years with a focus on the automotive software market, managing high-volume strategic programs for leading OEMs and tier-1 suppliers. As a leader at major technology companies, Oren successfully led multidisciplinary teams and executed strategic initiatives with multinational automotive accounts.

Oren joined LeddarTech in December of 2023 as Vice-President of Product Line Management and Business Development, responsible for product planning, execution, and management. In addition, Oren manages LeddarTech’s Product line and business development function.

Before joining LeddarTech, Oren served as Vice-President of Business and Programs at automotive technology company Tri-Eye, where he was successful in strategic product and business development, leading to significant growth. Before Tri-Eye, Oren was the PM Group Leader with Mobileye, managing major customer projects, most notably with global automotive OEM Geely Group. Oren also held significant leadership roles with Guardian Optical Technologies, Altice and others.

Oren holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Industrial Management and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Computer Science, Software Engineering from Ben-Gurion University, Israel.

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.

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.

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.

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.