Board of Directors | Couche-Tard

Alain Bouchard

Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board

Mr. Bouchard has served as the Executive Chairman of Alimentation Couche-Tard since 2014, when he stepped down after 25 years as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bouchard opened his first convenience store in Québec in 1980, and founded the companies that grew into Alimentation Couche-Tard. He has over 40 years of experience in the retail industry and worked with his closest collaborators and all staff members to build Alimentation Couche-Tard into the business it is today. He is a member of the Board of Directors of CGI Group Inc. since 2013 and serves as Chairman of its Human Resources Committee.

Mr. Bouchard is a Member of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, and has an honorary doctorate in Consumer Sciences from Université Laval in Québec City. He has received many distinguished awards for business excellence and his outstanding professional achievements, including:

Companion of the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame
Cercle des Grands entrepreneurs du Québec, a prestigious distinction awarded to exceptional entrepreneurs whose achievements, ideals and commitment have contributed to Québec’s entrepreneurial vitality and economic development (February 2018)
International Horatio Alger Award, which recognizes people who have persevered through challenges to become successful entrepreneurs and community leaders, from the Horatio Alger Association (March 2017)
Grand bâtisseur de l’économie du Québec from the Institute for governance (2014)
T. Patrick Boyle Founder’s award from the Fraser Institute (2014)
NACS Insight International Convenience Leader of the year (2014).

Mr. Bouchard has been involved in an impressive number of fundraising campaigns and philanthropic activities. He and his wife established the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation in 2012, which supports various causes associated with people living with intellectual disabilities as well as artistic and cultural projects. In 2015 Mr. Bouchard and his wife were named Exceptional philanthropist of the year by the Québec Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Nathalie Bourque

Corporate Director

Ms. Bourque is a consultant specializing in public relations, government relations and financial communications. She was Vice-President, Public Affairs and Global Communications at CAE Inc. from 2005 until her retirement in 2015. Ms. Bourque was a partner at NATIONAL Public Relations from 1996 to 2005, where she was responsible for numerous financial, biopharmaceutical, retail and entertainment clients. Prior to joining NATIONAL, she worked for various communications companies and also for accounting firms in marketing.

Ms. Bourque is a member of the board of Héroux-Devtek Inc. and its Audit Committee since 2015. She is also a member of the board of Hydropothecary and its Audit Committee, and chairs its Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committee since 2018. She is a former member of the Board of Financial Services of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. She also served as President of the MBA Association and Le Cercle Finance et Placement du Québec. She has a master of business administration from McGill University and a bachelor of arts from Laval University.

Eric Boyko

Corporate Director

Mr. Boyko is a global entrepreneur who has nearly two decades of experience with start-ups and extensive expertise in early stage business innovations. He co-founded Stingray Digital Group Inc. and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2010. Mr. Boyko founded and was President of eFundraising.com, an e-commerce success story that became a leading player in the North American fundraising industry. Mr. Boyko was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2006.

Mr. Boyko’s passion for extreme sports and world travel fuels his drive for business excellence. He serves on the board of directors of Stingray Digital Group Inc., Bouclair Inc. and Attraction Média Inc. He is an active participant in many philanthropic endeavours, and is a member of the Montréal Canadiens Children’s Foundation’s board of directors.

He is a graduate with great distinction of McGill University, and has a bachelor of commerce with a specialization in accounting and entrepreneurship.

Jacques D’Amours

Corporate Director

Mr. D’Amours joined the company as a co-founder in 1980 and worked with his closest collaborators and all staff members to build Alimentation Couche-Tard into the business it is today.

He served in a variety of roles during his 34-year career, including Manager of Technical Services, Vice‑President of Sales and Vice-President of Administration and Operations. Mr. D’Amours retired from the company in 2014.

Jean A. Élie

Corporate Director

Mr. Élie has extensive business experience. He was the managing director of a Canadian bank wholly-owned by Société Générale (France) from 1998 to 2002, and Vice-President and Manager, Corporate Services and Government Services of Burns Fry Limited (now BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.), a Canadian investment banking and brokerage firm, from 1981 to 1995. He was a member of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec from 1987 to 1997 and also served on the Executive Committee and as Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee. He served as its Interim Chairman in 1996.

Mr. Élie is a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal chapter of Institut des auditeurs internes du Canada and Letko, Brosseau & Associates Inc., where he serves as the chair of the Audit Committee and is a member of its Human Resources Committee. He also served on the board of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and was a member of the Executive Committee as well as on the board of directors of Loto Québec and was a member of its Audit Committee.

Mr. Élie is a recipient of the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award (Governor General Award) for voluntarism in the Performing Arts and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his contribution to the community.

He has a master of business administration from the University of Western Ontario, a bachelor of civil law from McGill University and a bachelor of arts from the University of Montréal. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Québec Bar Association.

Richard Fortin

Corporate Director

Richard Fortin is a co-founder and served as Chairman of the Board from 2008 to 2011. He joined the company in 1984 and retired as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer in 2008. He spent 13 years at several major financial institutions and was Vice-President of Québec for a Canadian bank wholly-owned by Société Générale (France) before joining Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Mr. Fortin is a member of the Board of Directors of Transcontinental Inc. where he also serves as Lead Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee and National Bank of Canada where he also serves as Chairman of the Risk Management Committee and member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Fortin also served on the board of Rona, Inc. from 2009 to 2013, and on the board of National Bank Life Insurance Company from 2005 to 2018 and as the Chairman of its Audit Committee from 2013 to 2018.

He has a bachelor of arts in management with a major in finance from Université Laval in Québec City.

Brian Hannasch

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Hannasch was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard in 2014, and served as Chief Operating Officer 2010 to 2014.

He joined the company in 2001 and during his 17 years with Alimentation Couche-Tard, has also served as Senior Vice-President, U.S. Operations (2008 to 2010), Senior Vice President, Western North America (2004 to 2008), Vice-President, Integration (2003 to 2004), and Vice President Operations, U.S. Midwest (2001 to 2004) where he was responsible for all aspects of U.S. operations.

Mr. Hannasch was Vice President of Operations for Bigfoot Food Stores LLC, a 225-unit convenience store chain in the U.S. Midwest acquired by Alimentation Couche‑Tard in 2001, from 2000 to 2001. Prior to that, he was at BP Amoco from 1989 to 2000, and held various positions of increasing responsibility including Vice-President of Marketing for the U.S. Midwest Business Unit.

Mr. Hannasch was named CEO of the year by The Globe and Mail in 2016. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing (NACS) since 2016.

He has a master of business administration in marketing and finance from the University of Chicago and a bachelor of arts in finance from Iowa State University.

Mélanie Kau

Entrepreneur

Ms. Kau is a seasoned retailer and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in creating customer connections. Her past investments include Naturiste, a 67-store chain of natural supplements and vitamins. As President of Mobilia, a family business, from 1986 to 2011, she focused on building the brand and growing the retail network in Québec and Ontario. Ms. Kau is a member of the board of directors of Aéroports de Montréal and serves on its Governance and Human Resources Committee. She previously served on the board of directors of Investissement Québec.

Ms. Kau is passionate about entrepreneurship. She serves as Governor of the Young Chamber of Commerce, where she mentors four young up-and-coming entrepreneurs. She has received several accolades for her business acumen and entrepreneurship, including Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and the John Molson School of Business Award of Distinction.

She has a master of business administration from Concordia and a master of journalism from Northwestern University.

Monique F. Leroux

President of the International Cooperative Alliance

Ms. Leroux is a corporate director and has extensive business experience. She is the Chair of the board of directors of Investissement Québec and she is the former Chair of the Québec government’s Advisory Council on the Economy and Innovation. From 2008 to 2016, Ms. Leroux was the Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group. Ms. Leroux serves as an independent director on the boards of BCE Inc. / Bell Canada, the Michelin Group and S&P Global. She also serves as Strategic Advisor at Fiera Capital Corporation.

Ms. Leroux is a Member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (France) and a Companion of the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. She has also received the Woodrow Wilson Award (United States), the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Québec CPA Order and the Institute of Corporate Directors Fellowship Award.

Ms. Leroux gives her time and support to several not-for-profit organizations. She is a Prime Ministerial appointee to the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, a member of the board of the Rideau Hall Foundation for the Governor General of Canada and a member of the board of directors of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra.

She has honorary doctorates from eight Canadian universities.

Réal Plourde

Corporate Director

Mr. Plourde was Chairman of the Board from 2011 to 2014. He joined the company in 1984 and served in a variety of roles, including Executive Vice-President from 2010 until his retirement in 2011, Chief Operating Officer, Vice-President of Development, Sales and Operations, and Manager of Technical Services. Mr. Plourde began his career working on various engineering projects in Canada and Africa.

Mr. Plourde is a member of the board of directors of CIMA+ and serves on the Audit Committee and the Governance and Ethics Committee.

Mr. Plourde and his wife, Ariane Rioux, are recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Seniors Medal (February 2018), for their sustained community-based volunteer work, especially at the Palliative Care Home in Laval.

He has a master of business administration from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales in Montréal, an engineering degree in applied sciences from Université Laval in Québec City, and is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec.

Daniel Rabinowicz

Corporate Director

Mr. Rabinowicz is an independent marketing and business consultant. He was President of TAXI Montréal, an advertising agency, from 2004 to 2008, and then President of TAXI’s New York office until his retirement in 2009. Prior to that he was at Cossette Communication Group, where he rose to become President of Cossette Montréal and Co-President of Cossette Toronto. Mr. Rabinowicz started his career in advertising with Vickers & Benson in 1975, and acquired experience as a brand manager at Catelli Ltd. before joining Cossette Communication Group in 1985 as Director, Strategic Planning.

Mr. Rabinowicz is a member of the board of directors of Reitmans Canada Limited since 2012 where he serves on the Corporate Governance and Human Resources Committee, Wafu Inc. and the Montréal Holocaust Museum. He is the founder and former President of Bénévolat d’entraide aux communicateurs, a non-profit organization that helps professionals in the communications industry deal with their personal, professional or financial problems, and remains on the organization’s management committee.

He has a master of business administration and a bachelor of arts from McGill University.