Management team

President and Chief Executive Officer

Éric Lachance

Éric Lachance joined Énergir in January 2017 as Vice President, Finance and was appointed Senior Vice President, Regulatory, IT, Logistics and Chief Financial Officer on June 1, 2018. After holding these positions in the company, he became President and Chief Executive Officer, position he is holding since January 1^st, 2020. From February 2000 to December 2016, he held various positions at La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the last 3 years as Regional Director – Europe within its subsidiary CDPQ Paris where he led the team responsible for ensuring the supervision and valuation of the Caisse’s European infrastructure investment portfolio. He represented CDPQ as a board member for many portfolio companies such as Fluxys Belgium, Colonial Pipeline, Keolis and Heathrow Airport.

Committed to the energy transition, Éric Lachance thinks of energy not as a product, but as a service that must best meet various needs, including the need to move towards a lower carbon economy. For Mr. Lachance, the challenges posed by the transformation of the energy industry over the next 20 years will require creativity and flexibility.

Mr. Lachance holds a degree in business, finance and economics from McGill University and has been a chartered financial analyst since 2000.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of La Fondation des Petits Rois, whose mission is to promote the education and development of children living with an intellectual disability. Since January 2020, he has been a member of the Industry / Transportation Divisional Committee under the campaign cabinet of Centraide of Greater Montreal.

Executive Vice President, Québec

Stéphanie Trudeau

Stéphanie Trudeau is Executive Vice President Quebec at Énergir since January 2020. She oversees gas distribution activities in Québec and plays a leading role in the strategic thinking focused on establishing how Énergir can participate in the development of a greener and more sustainable economy for its customers and for Québec society.

Appointed Vice President in October 2012, she was given responsibility for sustainable development and public and governmental affairs, then quickly were added marketing and customer services. She was then promoted to Senior Vice-President, Regulatory, Customers and Communities in December 2016. A reorganization in June 2018 gave her new responsibilities as Senior Vice President for Customers and Operations vice-presidencies, which include sales, marketing, customer services, new construction, engineering, geomatics, network maintenance, and regional business offices. A communication expert and seasoned strategist, Stéphanie previously was Vice President, Public Affairs – Québec at Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. and Director, Public Affairs at the SAQ.

Stéphanie chairs the board of Énergir, chaleur et climatisation urbaines (ECCU). She is a member of the board of directors and outgoing president of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ). She is a member of the Board of Directors of FitSpirit, Direxyon, the Conseil des parrains of the JCCM, ambassador for Carbone Scol’ERE and ambassador founder of La Ruche Montréal, a crowdfunding organization. She is also a member of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council.

In 2016, Stéphanie received the Medal of the National Assembly of Quebec. In 2020, Stéphanie received the Prix Femmes d’affaires du Québec in the “Cadre, dirigeante - entreprise privée” category presented by the RFAQ and the “Personnalité EnviroLys” award presented by the CETEQ. In 2021, Stephanie is the recipient of the Clean50 Sustainability Award recognizing her as one of 50 leaders who have played a leading role in advancing sustainability in Canada over the past two years.

Vice President, Employees and Culture

Claudine Beaudet

Claudine Beaudet joined Énergir in June 2017 as Director, Compensation, labor relations and talent acquisition. She was then appointed Assistant Vice President, Employees and Culture in January 2018 and Vice President for the same sector on January 1, 2019.

She previously held the position of Vice President of Talent Management at the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec, where she helped transform the institution between 2010 and 2017.

As part of her role, she is responsible for supporting Energir's transformation by implementing innovative practices that have an impact on organizational culture. The key practices under her leadership are: organizational culture, leadership and succession development, talent retention and diversity, equity and inclusion, internal communications, occupational health (physical and psychological) and safety, emergency measures and the environment, compensation, labour relations, and she is also responsible of technical training at the École de technologie gazière.

Her vision of human resources is unique and based on the strengths and complementarities of each team member. This synergy is the key to success and is achieved through respect for individual and corporate needs and skills development.

Ms. Beaudet has more than 30 years of experience in human resources management working with organizations in transformational contexts. She has developed expertise to support businesses such as Agropur, Gaz Métropolitain and the Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec during large-scale changes. In doing so, she has assumed a key role with many managers in the development and implementation of management practices aimed at organizational and cultural transformation and employee mobilization. She was also responsible for the human resources component during the creation of eight international business offices at the CDPQ.

Ms. Beaudet holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from the Université de Montréal and is a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (CRHA). She also acts as a mentor for various organizations.

Vice President, Information Technologies

Charles Brenn

Mr. Charles Brenn is Vice President, Information Technologies at Energir since July 2019. In this role, he oversees all aspects of information technology including architecture, project planning, development, operation and cybersecurity. Also, he is responsible of the organization’s internal project office. Mr. Brenn has more than 20 years of experience in technology, more specifically in digital products development, e-commerce as well as modernisation and implementation of major systems. Before joining Energir, he held Vice President positions at Sogema Technologies and Outbox Technology. Previously, he also held various I.T. management positions at Québecor and Mediagrif.

Vice President, Development and Major Projects

Étienne Champagne

Mr. Étienne Champagne started his career at Boralex in 2003 after studies in mechanical engineering at the Université Laval. While with the company, he held the positions of Project Manager, Director of Wind Farm Development and Project Director notably for the Seigneurie de Beaupré Wind Farm. In April 2016, he joined Énergir as Senior Director, Development, and was promoted to Vice President, Construction and Development of emerging markets in January 2017. Since January 1^st, 2020, he was appointed Vice President, Development and Major Projects. Over the years, Mr. Champagne has participated in developing and implementing many natural gas, biomass, solar and wind energy sites in Canada and in the United States. He has built up extensive experience in acquisitions, commercial negotiations, and project financial and technical planning. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and earned an MBA from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Vice-President, Strategy, Finance and Regulatory Affairs

Marc-André Goyette

Mr. Marc-André Goyette is Vice-President, Strategy, Finance and Regulatory Affairs at Énergir since May 2022. He is responsible for the strategic planning and the transformation Office, as well as the finance, accounting, and regulatory affairs teams in Québec. His primary role is to ensure a coherent alignment between the strategic orientations of the company in Québec, financial management, and the regulatory framework.
Mr. Goyette joined Énergir in 2014. Since then, he has held several managerial positions in various departments of the company in addition to having managed large-scale strategic cross-functional projects. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Goyette held the position of Assistant Vice-President, Finance and Regulation, Québec.
From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Goyette worked as project director in economics and strategic development for WSP. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Université Laval, an MBA with a specialization in management accounting from UQAM and is a member of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Québec (CPA).

Chief Financial Officer

Mathieu Lepage

Mr. Mathieu Lepage first joined Énergir in 2005 and orchestrated the acquisition of Green Mountain Power Corporation (“GMP”) in Vermont. After a brief stint at CAE, he returned to Énergir as Director, Mergers and Acquisitions and, with his team, completed the acquisition of Central Vermont Public Service and its eventual merger with GMP, working in concert with the teams in Vermont. Then successively appointed Treasurer and Director, Financial Planning and Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions, he actively participated in the development of Énergir in the wind, solar and liquefied natural gas markets and in the buyout of Énergir, chaleur et climatisation urbaines' minority stake and the acquisition of Standard Solar. Since 2019, Mr. Lepage has been Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of GMP and since May 2021, also holds the functions of Chief Financial Officer of Énergir.
Mr. Lepage holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, finance and is a chartered financial analyst.

Vice President, Customers and Gas Supply

Renault Lortie

Renault Lortie has been Vice President, Customers and Gas Supply since January 2020. He is responsible for developing and implementing strategies, marketing plans, internal investments and measures aimed at maintaining and developing clientele through Énergir’s flagship decarbonization products—namely, energy efficiency, dual energy and renewable natural gas (RNG). He oversees the Energy Solutions, Clients Experience, Renewable Gas Supply (RNG, hydrogen) and Customer Services teams, and ensures the purchase and transportation of natural gas to Québec. In January 2023, the Legal Affairs teams were added to this group.

Mr. Lortie joined Énergir in 2014 as Director, Sales Major Industries, and was then promoted to Senior Director, Sales and Market Development. In 2017, he was appointed Vice President, Sales and Market Development, and in June 2018, he was named Vice President, Customers, a position that he held until his latest promotion.

Previously employed by KPMG and by SECOR Consulting as Partner in strategic planning, Mr. Lortie is an expert in the energy and natural resources sectors. He holds an MBA from HEC Montréal and is a member of the Barreau du Québec. In 2014, he won the ARISTA Provincial Contest in the Québec Young Executive category. He is currently a member of the boards of directors of Green Mountain Power, Énergir Management (formerly Gaz Métro Plus), Énergir urban heating and cooling, and Cégep Garneau (public academic institution).

Vice President, Operations

Stéphane Santerre

Mr. Stéphane Santerre joined the Énergir team in 2001 as Superviser of Operations. In 2012, he was made Director, Network Maintenance and Eastern Quebec Business Offices. Following his May 27 2014 nomination to Sales Director, Major Accounts and Datech Group, he was promoted Head of Operations in March 2016. Since January 2017, Mr. Santerre has been named Vice President, Operations; he oversees the full range of operations regarding the network, LSR plant, transmission, construction, and network and measurement engineering. Before joining Énergir, Mr. Santerre had worked eight years at Alstom, where he held various positions in a crescendo of responsibility, ultimately as Operations Manager at Work Site Erection and After-Sales Services. Mr. Santerre's credentials are in Mechanical Engineering (1993).