Engineering graduate in Civil Engineering from École Polytechnique in 1975, Pierre Dufour earned a Masters in Civil Engineering from Stanford University in 1979. In 1993, he obtained a diploma in management from Harvard Business School. At the end of his degree, Pierre Dufour began his engineering career in the Lavalin group, then rose through the ranks and became executive vice president of SNC-Lavalin, a position he held until 1997. Later he joined the service of Air Liquide Group where he held several positions. In 2007 he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Air Liquide Group.