Averna Board of Directors

Pascal Pilon

Chairman / President and CEO, Averna

Mr. Pilon has served as a director and CEO of Averna since its inception in 1999. A veteran in real-time computerized systems, Mr. Pilon co-founded Averna after holding executive positions at Mindready Solutions and ATS Aerospace. He won the 2005 ARISTA Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 2009 SGF – CEO of the Year Award, the 2009 Prix Tremplin Entrepreneurship, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2009 Quebec Award together with Richard Maltais, and was named to the prestigious Canada's Top 40 Under 40™ that same year.

Mr. Pilon holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal. He is an active director of Société d'Investissement Jeunesse, a non-profit organization that supports young entrepreneurs in their quest for startup funding.

André Gauthier

Chairman of the Audit Committee / Managing Partner, Tandem Expansion Fund

André Gauthier has over 25 years of experience in private equity investing, and in international financial management in the information and communication technologies and other sectors. Mr. Gauthier is Managing Partner of Tandem Expansion, a Canadian growth equity fund. Previously, he was Managing Partner of Echo Capital, a venture capital firm, and CFO at Telesystem International Wireless Inc., a leading provider of wireless communication services in Central and Eastern Europe that was sold to Vodafone Group Plc for US$4.5 billion. Mr. Gauthier is a former director of xtranormal Inc., an animation software company and Enlaces Radiofonicos S.A., MobiFon S.A., and Oskar Mobil A.S., wireless telecommunication service providers in Mexico, Romania, and Czech Republic, respectively.

Mr. Gauthier holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HEC Montréal and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec since 1984.

Richard Maltais

Chief Operating Officer, Averna

Mr. Maltais has been one of Averna's directors since it was founded in 1999. He is a seasoned expert in test engineering, and has nurtured longstanding relationships with leading instrument vendors. He co-founded Averna after serving as the business unit manager of test and measurement solutions for the Informission Group. Prior to that, Mr. Maltais worked for Paramax, where he was involved in the development of military technology. He won an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2009 Quebec Award together with Pascal Pilon.

Mr. Maltais holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. He is an active board member of the Quebec Technology Association (AQT), the largest group of technology firms in Quebec, where he shares his expertise in business development best practices and inspires the IT frontrunners of tomorrow.

Jean-François Grou

President and COO, 20-20 Technologies Inc.

Mr. Grou has served as a director of Averna since 2003. He is the current president and COO of 20-20 Technologies Inc. (TSX:TWT), where he has been in charge of its worldwide operations and business activities since 1999. Prior to that, he was vice president of European Operations at LGS Group Inc., a Canadian IT consulting and systems integration firm.

Mr. Grou holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in finance from HEC Montreal.

Robert Coallier

Corporate Director

Mr. Coallier sits on the Board of Directors of Averna as a member since February 2010.  With over 20 years’ experience in Executive Management, Mr. Coallier brings expertise in strategic planning, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, risk management and forging strategic alliances.

Until 2009, Mr. Coallier was the Senior Vice-President and CFO of Dollarama L.P.  He participated in the company’s initial public offering of $300M; as well as implementing new business processes and management systems to support corporate growth and be SOX compliant.

Prior to this, Mr. Coallier held several positions at Molson Coors Brewing Company and Molson Inc., including Global Chief Development Officer and EVP, Corporate Strategy and International Operations.  During his tenure, Mr. Coallier was closely involved with the successful merger between Molson Inc. and the Coors Brewing Company.  Earlier still, Mr. Coallier was Vice-President and CFO of C-MAC Industries Inc.  With his involvement, the company grew from $250M to $2B.