Julie Gascon to Lead MPA

Julie Gascon, President and CEO, Montreal Port Authority (CNW Group/Port of Montréal Photograph)

The Montréal Port Authority (MPA) has appointed Julie Gascon as President and CEO, effective Feb. 12, 2024.

Geneviève Deschamps will continue to act as interim CEO until Gascon takes over, according to the MPA, operator of the Port of Montréal in Québec, which is served by CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and handles containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk.

Gascon is currently President and CEO of the Pacific Pilotage Authority in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has also held positions at Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard. From 2005 to 2015, Gascon worked as a regulator, taking on increased responsibilities from Senior Marine Safety Inspector through to Executive Director, Domestic Vessels, and Regulatory Oversight at Transport Canada. From 2015 to June 2020, she was appointed to both regional and national roles at the Canadian Coast Guard, first as Assistant Commissioner Central and Arctic Region, leading the operational and tactical delivery of Coast Guard programs and services covering the Canadian Great Lakes, central Canada (including Québec) and the Canadian Arctic, and then as Director General, Operations. In July 2020, Gascon returned to Transport Canada as the Director General, Marine Safety and Security, where she was responsible for developing, coordinating, and enforcing national safety, security, and environmental protection legislation, policies, standards, and regulatory controls governing Canada’s marine transportation systems and services, including the administration of the new Pilotage Act.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Julie Gascon to the MPA,” MPA Board Chair Nathalie Pilon said. “Her wealth of experience and exemplary career path attest both to her great thoroughness and her innate leadership skills in managing multidisciplinary teams. I am certain that her qualities will enable us not only to continue our current projects, but give them fresh impetus. I would also like to thank the current management team for their contribution.”

“The Port of Montréal is a great institution in the marine community, and I look forward to joining a strong team and contributing to the success of a strategic asset for Québec and the rest of Canada alike,” said Gascon. “I thank the Board of Directors for their confidence in me and welcome the opportunity to work closely with both the industry and the many communities we serve, to extend the Port of Montréal’s reach even further.”

In related news, the government of Canada in October reported that it is investing up to C$150 million (US$109.5 million) in the Port of Montréal’s Contrecœur, Québec, container terminal project.