Vortex Aquatic Structures International today announced that Virginie Guilbeault has been promoted to Executive Vice-President, a new position within the firm, and that Louis Parent has been promoted to the role of Vice-President of Operations.
Guilbeault, who joined Vortex in 2005 and most recently served as VP Business Development, Europe/Middle East, is now responsible for sales and operations, including processes and tools. She continues to manage business development strategy in Europe, Middle East and Quebec and will add Asia to her portfolio. As EVP, Guilbeault will work closely with all members of the Vortex leadership team to ensure alignment with the company’s overall strategy and to maintain a strong global customer focus.
Over the past decade, Guilbeault served Vortex in several business development and marketing functions, playing key roles in developing the company’s international business. Guilbeault reports to Stephen Hamelin, president, Vortex International. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University.
As Vice-President of Operations, Parent will oversee manufacturing, supply chain, construction, technical and customer services. He will be responsible for developing and executing strategies to help meet Vortex customer experience goals on all operational fronts. Parent will also supervise Vortex’s world-class customer post-sales experience.
Prior to joining Vortex, Parent was the Commercial Manager Canada for Ficep Corp. Previously, he had served as Construction Manager and Vice President Construction, respectively, for Gexcelco and M. Grégore Inc. Parent brings years of experience in manufacturing as project manager and general management at Supermetal Structures’ Western division and as the structural steel facility manager for JV Driver Fabricators.
Parent earned a P.Eng from the École de Technologie Supérieure and an M.B.A. in International Business from the University of Alberta School of Business.
“For more than a decade, Virginie has successfully taken increasing responsibility in both marketing and sales. She has been instrumental in positioning Vortex as a leader in Europe, the Middle East and Quebec by helping us grow our on-the-ground capabilities and resources to better meet clients’ needs,” said Hamelin, Vortex’s president. “Louis brings strong construction and operations experience that will help scale, and adapt easily to changes coming from both internal and external environments. Together, Virginie and Louis position us to meet the opportunities and challenges that come with our continued growth.”
