Simon Olivier to Join AquaAction Board as Lead Director
Montreal, Québec, January 31, 2022. AquaAction, an established and unique catalyst for freshwater innovation, is please to welcome Simon Olivier as the newest member of its Board of Directors, as Lead Director. In this role, Simon will work with members of the Board and the AquaAction team to craft the organization’s vision and implement its strategic plan. Simon is currently Senior Partner at Cycle Capital and Lead of BleuImpact, a water impact investment fund. Simon is an executive leader with 30 years experience in strategy, innovation, finance, and operations. He spent more than 20 years at GE, including roles with GE Capital, GE Corporate (M&A and Ventures) and GE Renewable Energy, where he built a multi-billion-dollar franchise in Canada and Northeast USA.
“I have always been a big supporter of cleantech, and this new opportunity will allow to accelerate the synergies and solutions across the water innovation ecosystem. Water innovation is key to fighting climate change (90% of the climate change disasters are water-related (flooding, droughts, etc.)) and we need to take action now to mitigate those social, environmental, and human impacts. It is a privilege to join AquaAction’s leadership team, to help contribute to restoring freshwater health in North America.” said Simon Olivier.
“We are extremely fortunate to have one of the preeminent freshwater leaders join our team. Having Simon become our Lead Director strengthens our ability to deliver on our mission of restoring freshwater health in North America. We are deeply committed to this objective and with Simon’s experience and expertise, he will enable us to get there faster. On behalf of the board and of the entire team at AquaAction, I extend a very warm welcome to Simon and look forward to working closely with him as we amplify our solutions and impact across the country.” said François de Gaspé Beaubien, Chair of the AquaAction Board of Directors.
Simon holds an engineering degree from Polytechnique Montreal and an MBA in finance from McGill University, where he is a member of the McGill Global Leadership Council. In 2009, he was named young international leader of Quebec by the Arista organisation. Simon served on several boards of directors including GE Canada, C2 Montreal, the Canadian Wind Energy Association, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal, etc. He actively supports its community through its lasting engagement with United Way (Centraide).
About AquaAction
AquaAction is registered Canadian charity, established by the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation in 2012. Nan-b and Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien II prompted their grandchildren to find their own voice as future philanthropists by asking them what issues were of concern to them. Members of the family’s 14th generation were of one mind: their biggest concern was water. Believing in the passion and creativity of youth and the value of entrepreneurship for change, AquaAction was born. Driven to disrupt the status quo with innovative ideas and to engaging young entrepreneurs with a can-do mindset, AquaAction runs three tech-focused programs: the AquaHacking Challenge, the AquaHacking Alumni Program and AquaEntrepreneur. Since its inception, 36 youth-led water tech start-ups have been established across Canada.
Media Contact: Laurence Basso, Communications Coordinator, laurence@aquaaction.org, https://aquaaction.org/