Management Team

Pascal Pilon

President and CEO

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.

Richard Maltais

Chief Operating Officer

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.

Joseph Cavalancia

Chief Financial Officer

Joseph Cavalancia has acquired over thirty years of experience in finance and accounting, in positions at private and public companies in the manufacturing and services sectors. Over the years, he has successfully accomplished multiple acquisition mandates, in addition to large administrative and corporate cases.

M. Cavalancia holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from HEC Montreal, and is a chartered accountant and a member of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec.

Roger T. Duguay

Vice President of Marketing and Human Capital

Mr. Duguay has garnered more than fifteen years of management, human resources, sales, and marketing experience. Before joining Averna, he worked for ten years in a large U.S.-based management consulting firm, where he was a senior consultant prior to heading business development for the company's Canadian Software Outsourcing division. Mr. Duguay is now responsible for all marketing, communications, and human resources initiatives at Averna. He previously held the position of Vice President, Sales & Marketing of the software division.

Mr. Duguay holds a bachelor's degree in actuarial sciences, a minor in financial economics, and an MBA from HEC Montréal, where he is currently completing his Ph.D. and is a senior lecturer. Mr. Duguay is an active director of Lemieux Pilon 4Dart, and a mentor for HEC Montréal MBA students and undergraduates.

Sebastien Zuchowski

Vice President of Sales

Sébastien Zuchowski's career has spanned twelve years in the telecommunications, aerospace and defense, and transportation industries. Mr. Zuchowski was previously the partner sales manager for the Quebec business unit of Novell, a company providing enterprise software solutions. In 2007, he won Novell's prestigious Pole Position Award, recognition given for oustanding leadership. He has previously held the positions of vice president of sales at Integrys Limited and strategic account manager at Kontron America.

Paul Martineau

Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions

Paul Martineau has acquired more than 20 years of experience in international financing, and in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Martineau has held senior strategic and managerial positions in the manufacturing and biotech R&D industries, more recently with Lysac Technologies in the capacities of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Martineau holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and an MBA in finance from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), as well as an Executive MBA from Université Paris-Dauphine. He is a Certified Treasury Executive.

Jean-Yves Allard

Vice President of Research and Development

Mr. Allard's background is a testament to his passion for test engineering, a career that began at CAE in 1989. He became a test engineer for Nortel in 1992, where he created a best-practices task force to revamp the company's test processes. He managed Nortel's CIM group for a solid decade, and spearheaded development of the renowned Advanced Test Platform (ATP), technology that has made its mark in the test and telecom communities.

Yves Gosselin

Vice President of Operations

Yves Gosselin has acquired fifteen years of experience in helping renowned aerospace and defense companies gain efficiency in their control, simulation, and test applications. In his roles as project engineer, test manager, and operations and engineering executive at companies as diverse as CAE, ATS Aerospace, Adacel and Mechtronix, Mr. Gosselin oversaw functional and system testing, real-time software, production, manufacturing, and engineering activities. During his tenure as an executive in these fast-growing simulation companies, Mr. Gosselin successfully re-oriented them from a project to a product approach, and managed the largest government contract ever awarded in the air traffic control simulation industry, earning a high performance rating from the US Air Force.

Mr. Gosselin has a degree in electrical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada, and is a former Canadian Air Force pilot.

Lori Seidman

Chief Legal Officer

Lori Seidman has acquired a decade of legal experience in corporate matters. She started her legal career in 1998 at Fasken Martineau, an international law firm, where she advised public and private companies. Prior to joining Averna, she held the position of Chief Legal Officer for a financial services company. She has has been awarded the R.T. Honourable Brian Dickson Prize and the Carswell Book Prize for academic proficiency in common law, among other honors.

Mrs. Seidman holds a bachelor's degree in communications from McGill University, and bachelor's degrees in both civil law and common law from Ottawa University. She is a member of the Barreau du Québec and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.

Bob Sandage

Vice President, Broadband Solutions

Bob Sandage has acquired over fifteen years of experience in test engineering and automation. After working as an analog IC design electrical engineer at Medtronic, Mr. Sandage founded DAQTron in 1994, a company that became a worldwide leader in test systems and automation solutions. These products are used by the world's top broadband RF manufacturers to achieve unparalleled automation for their certification test activities. DAQTron was a National Instruments Select Channel Partner from 2001 until its acquisition by Averna in 2009.

Mr. Sandage holds a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering, and a graduate minor in business administration.