Honorary degree citation - Nathalie Pilon

By: Dr. Anjali Agarwal, November 2018

Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Ms. Nathalie Pilon, business leader and innovator.

Although she left the sciences behind in high school to pursue an education in accounting, she says it was her innate curiosity in many subjects – and especially in people – that pulled her back. She has spent her career working in the energy sector, at the intersection of business and engineering. As president of the Canadian division of ABB, she heads a company at the forefront of sustainable electric transport and infrastructure, robotics, automation and AI. She is passionate about the Canadian manufacturing sector, and shares Concordia’s vision for Canada as a global leader in the rapidly developing renewable energy economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Madame Pilon exprime d’ailleurs ses idées sur le sujet dans la revue Policy, de même qu’à titre d’experte lors de nombreuses conférences sur le leadership éclairé. Reconnue comme l’une des 100 femmes les plus influentes du Canada, elle parle souvent de l’importance de former des dirigeantes et de cultiver un équilibre entre les aspects personnels et professionnels de la vie. Elle continue de s’impliquer activement tant dans son milieu professionnel que dans sa communauté.

Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Ms. Nathalie Pilon, so that you may confer upon her the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.