Senior management

Jean-Marc Eustache was the principal architect of the 1987 creation of Transat A.T. Inc. His forward-thinking business vision — focused on vertical integration — combined with outstanding leadership skills have helped elevate Transat A.T. Inc. to the rank of Canada’s tourism industry leader. With its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Company has also become international in scope and one of the world tourism industry’s largest players.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (1974) from l'Université du Québec à Montréal. He began his career in the tourism industry in 1977 at Tourbec, a travel agency specializing in youth and student tourism, before founding Trafic Voyages — the foundation for  the creation of Transat A.T. —  in 1982.

Very active in the community, Mr. Eustache is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Canadian Tourism Commission, and also sits on the boards of Quebecor Inc., the Conference Board of Canada, the Cercle des présidents du Québec (network of Quebec CEOs) and the Espace Go theatre group. He is also Chair of the Université du Québec à Montréal Foundation.

For his major contribution to the development of the tourism industry, Mr. Eustache has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame (2008), the 2006 Trophée Grand Ulysse from Tourisme Montréal; Ernst & Young’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Quebec; the La Presse daily newspaper’s CEO of the Year award for 2004; the Prix Performance 2000 awarded by the management network of Université du Québec à Montréal; Cubanacan’s 2000 Award of Excellence; World Travel Market’s 1996 Global Award presented in London, England; Transport Canada’s 1992 Award of Excellence; and, the same year, the Industry Distinction award from the Association québécoise des agences de voyages (Quebec chapter of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies).

Nelson Gentiletti was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Transat in November 2009, after serving for three years as President of Transat Tours Canada. He joined Transat in 2002 as Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Mr. Gentiletti was Chief Financial Officer at BCE Emergis Inc., a subsidiary of BCE Inc.; Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Unican Security Systems Ltd., a public corporation; and Vice-President, Finance, for Vidéotron ltée. From 1986 to 1996, he held several positions at Minet, a property and casualty insurance broker, before becoming Chief Financial Officer and Head of Administration at the corporation's head office in New York City. Mr. Gentiletti is a chartered accountant and graduate of McGill University. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University.

In 2009, Michel Bellefeuille became Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Transat, after occupying the position on an interim basis. He has been part of the Transat team since 2002, serving as Vice-President, Information Systems, for both Air Transat and Transat Tours Canada. The holder of a BSc from Université de Sherbrooke and an MBA from HEC Montréal, he began his career in 1979, and has worked for major organizations such as Microcell Telecom and Bombardier Aerospace.

Bernard Bussières was appointed Vice-President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Transat in March 2001. Prior to joining the Transat management team, Mr. Bussières was a Senior Partner with the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP.

A specialist in business and commercial law, particularly in corporate financing, the sale and acquisition of companies, as well as technology transfer and licensing, Mr. Bussières began his career with De Grandpré Godin, then joined Martineau Walker from 1990 to 1994. The following year, he worked briefly in the Legal Affairs Department of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, before returning to private practice with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Mr. Bussières holds a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from Université d'Ottawa. He is a member of the Bar of Montreal, the Barreau du Québec and the Canadian Bar Association. He is also a member of Réseau Capital and the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de la Rive-Sud.

André de Montigny joined the Transat team in 2000 as Vice-President, Corporate Development. He served previously as Vice-President, Telecommunications, for Capital Communications CDPQ, a subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. He also worked for Vidéotron Ltd. and Teleglobe Canada as, respectively, Vice-President, Business Development, and Director, Business Development. Mr. de Montigny has bachelor's and master's degrees in Economics from Université de Montréal. He also holds a master's in Business Administration from HEC Montréal.

Michel Lemay joined Transat's management team in 2006. He was previously Vice-President, Corporate and Financial Communications, for a major Canadian public relations firm where for nearly 14 years he counselled the senior management teams of a wide range of corporations and organizations. During this time, he gained widely acknowledged expertise in strategy, reputation management, financial communications and crisis management.

Mr. Lemay is also former Director of Communications for the Montreal Exchange and he also worked for the Montreal Convention Centre, Communications Department. He is a graduate of Université Laval and HEC Montréal and also studied journalism at Université de Montréal. He is a member of the Canadian Investors Relations Institute (CIRI) and of the Conference Board of Canada's Council of Public Affairs Executives. He represents Transat on the board of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec and of the CIRANO (interuniversity centre of research, liaison, and transfer of knowledge on the analysis of organizations); he is a member of the Conseil des partenaires de l’industrie touristique, an advisory body to Québec’s Tourism Minister; he is also Vice-Chair of Tour Operators Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development in Madrid.

Jean-Luk Pellerin joined Transat's senior management team in May 2007 after several years at the helm of his own consultancy, specializing in the implementation of corporate strategies and organizational change. Mr. Pellerin has also been national partner with Mercer Consultation. Prior to that, Mr. Pellerin served in several senior management positions at General Electric, Domtar and Bombardier, during which he worked in Europe and Asia. As Vice-President, Organizational Development, for Bombardier's Transportation Group, he contributed to several international merger and acquisition projects, gaining extensive knowledge of corporate integration issues.

Mr. Pellerin holds a BA in Industrial Relations from Université Laval and also studied organizational development in the United States. He taught in the MBA program at HEC Montréal, in the Master's program in Organizational Development at American University, and at the McGill International Executive Institute.

A chartered accountant by training, Denis Pétrin began his career with Ernst & Young before joining Air Transat in 1990. He began working with the Finance team and in 1997 was appointed Vice-President, Finance and Administration, which he held until he was appointed to the equivalent position at Transat Tours Canada, in 2003. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.