Laurent Beaudoin
Laurent Robert Beaudoin CMG CC OQ (born May 13, 1938) is a Canadian businessman.Born in Laurier Station, Quebec, the son-in-law of Canadian businessman Joseph Armand Bombardier, Beaudoin joined Bombardier Limited in 1963. He began his career in 1961 by founding a firm of chartered accountants, Beaudoin & Blais, soon followed by a second firm, Beaudoin, Morin, Dufresne & Associés. He was named president of the company in 1966, shortly after Bombardier's death. He became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Inc. in 1979. Under his leadership, the company grew from a snowmobile manufacturer to the world's largest manufacturer of rail transportation equipment and to the world's third largest civil aircraft maker.After taking the company's helm, Beaudoin took it public, then used the funds thus raised to build a formidable rail transportation empire. In 1986 he entered the aviation world by acquiring the assets of Canadair, which had been manufacturing Challenger business jets and amphibious aircraft. He then acquired other cash-starved companies; by 1992 he controlled Short Brothers, Learjet, and de Havilland.In June 2000, Beaudoin was named a member of the Advisory Board of Lazard Canada. In December 2003 his son, Pierre Beaudoin, was named CEO of Bombardier. At that time Laurent Beaudoin became chairman of the board of Bombardier Recreational Products.
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| Birth date | May 13, 1938 |
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