Pierre Pomerleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pomerleau, received the 2014 Prix Mérite; Marc St-Hilaire, Vice-President, Technology and Innovation, at CAE, was presented with the Prix Innovation technologique (technological innovation award); and Magellan Charbonneau, Business Analyst with McKinsey & Company, was awarded the Prix de la Relève (next- generation award).

Pierre Pomerleau, 2014 Prix Mérite

Pierre Pomerleau, who earned his degree in civil engineering in 1987 and also holds a master's degree in business administration from Western University's Ivey Business School in London, Ontario, succeeded his father as CEO of the family business in 2007.

His vision as a builder and his quest for excellence have boosted construction quality to a level unparalleled throughout the world. Mr. Pomerleau insists that the actions and decisions of his some 1,500 employees be guided by an obligation to achieve results.

The strategic alliances he has forged and the experienced staff he has recruited have helped Mr. Pomerleau raise his business into the leadership ranks in the field of construction, infrastructure and civil engineering. Pomerleau is on the list of the 50 best-managed companies in Canada.

As the recipient of many awards and distinctions, Mr. Pomerleau has earned the Award of Excellence in Steel Construction for his projects at École de technologie supérieure and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport; the Mercury Award (New York); the Québec and Canada Pinnacle Award, the Energia Award and the Outstanding Building of the Year Award from BOMA Québec and Canada for 1000 de la Gauchetière; and the Armatura Award for the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec project.

As a well-known philanthropist, his contributions to fundraisers are often made in the form of athletic challenges. Most recently, in May he convinced 200 of his employees to take up the 2014 Défi Montréal-New York with him. Together, they ran a 609-kilometre relay in 72 hours to raise funds for assistance for the Lac Mégantic rail disaster.

Mr. Pomerleau has sat on several boards of directors, including those of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, the Conseil du patronat du Québec (Québec employers council) and the Québec chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization. He still sits on the Board of the Fondation de Polytechnique.

From left to right : Magellan Charbonneau, Prix de la Relève, Pierre Pomerleau, Prix Mérite, Marc St-Hilaire, Prix Innovation technologique.

Marc St-Hilaire, 2014 Prix Innovation technologique

When he was still a mechanical engineering student, Marc St-Hilaire was already engaged in technological innovation projects. With his classmates, he designed a high-performance race car. In 1985, diploma in hand, he pursued aeronautics training at Cranfield University in England. When he returned to Québec, he added a master's in business administration from HEC Montréal to his degree portfolio.

Since joining the aerospace industry, he has never looked back. He worked for Bombardier Aerospace for 21 years, during which he has held positions in Montréal and Wichita, Kansas. He worked closely on the design and development of the CRJ-1000, the regional jet that revolutionized regional aviation all over the world.

In 2006, Mr. St-Hilaire joined CAE as Vice-President, Technology and Innovation. As such, he ensures that CAE remains the world leader in simulation, modelling and training in the civil aviation and defence sectors. As the person responsible for research and development, he helmed the development of an application called CAE Dynamic Synthetic Environment. This innovation simulates reality with great precision, making it possible to factor in all real-world changes, from weapons to combat engineers and from weather conditions to the most recent technologies.

Mr. St-Hilaire has been a member of the Consortium de recherche et d'innovation en aérospatiale au Québec (Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec – CRIAQ) Board of Directors since 2006 and its Vice-Chair since 2012; he promotes the cross-fertilization of ideas and collaborations between specialists and researchers with the aim of constantly boosting Québec's competitiveness in the aerospace industry. He is also an active member of the Aéro Montréal Innovation Working Group, Québec's aerospace cluster, which was created in 2006. With the other group members, he works to define aerospace innovation strategy and action plans for Québec, as well as establish and co-ordinate projects that support this strategy.

Pivotal and avant-garde, the technological innovations developed under Mr. St-Hilaire's aegis are benchmarks in the field of aeronautics.

Magellan Charbonneau, 2014 Prix de la Relève 

Each year, the Gala Prix Mérite recognizes the exceptional work of a freshly graduated student by awarding him or her the Prix de la Relève, along with a $2,000 bursary provided by the Polytechnique alumni association and Gestion FÉRIQUE. This year, Magellan Charbonneau's win was a foregone conclusion.

With a degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. Charbonneau earned admirable grades and has carried off his learning and experiences with flair. As soon as he entered Polytechnique, he joined the Formule SAE team, which designs and builds a single-driver racing vehicle. He ended up in Michigan and California, taking part in the competitions in which the team had entered the vehicle.

Thanks to a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), he carried out his first university-level research work as part of an internship with Polytechnique's Canada Research Chair in High-Performance Composite Design and Manufacturing. He also won the Bourse de l'Avenir from the Fondation de l'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.

Mr. Charbonneau is interested in international co-operation; he travelled to Malawi, helping to build a science laboratory and compost latrines, and to Australia, taking part in the Poly-Monde 2013 industrial mission. True to his interests, he finished his bachelor's degree during a university exchange to Colombia.

Gala Prix Mérite

The Association des diplômés de Polytechnique wishes to thank the valued partners of the 2014 Gala Prix Mérite: Gestion FÉRIQUE, Les Affaires, National Bank of Canada, Polytechnique Montréal, TD Insurance, Bouthillette Parizeau inc, Axium, and the Aluminium Association of Canada.

The annual Gala Prix Mérite recognizes the exceptional contributions of Polytechnique Montréal alumni to the field of engineering. The Prix Mérite is awarded to an alumnus who has reached a superior level of excellence in his or her professional and social activities and pays tribute to a model of success. The Prix Innovation technologique is given to an alumnus whose notable accomplishments have created or advanced a technology that has a national or international impact. Lastly, the Prix de la Relève underscores the exceptional and promising talents of a graduating student.

Congratulations!