Management

Alain Chandonnet, President
Alain-Jacques Simard, Chief Operating Officer
Martin Guy, Vice-President Product Management and Technology
Ghislain Lafrance, Vice-President Defense & Aerospace
Richard Kirouac, Chief Finance Officer

Alain Chandonnet, President
From 1991 to 1999, he held positions as project manager and director of photonics at INO (National Optics Institute). From 1999 until early 2000, he was marketing manager of the Manufacturing Instrument Division at EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering, a leading manufacturer of fiber optic test equipment. He holds a Ph.D. in laser physics and a Master’s degree in thin film physics from Laval University in Quebec City. He has been involved in the field of optics and photonics since 1984.

Alain-Jacques Simard, Chief Operating Officer
From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Simard worked as a production engineer for MIL Davie shipyard, where he was responsible for the activation of communication, navigational, and weapon systems on Canadian Navy frigates. He then joined Société des Casinos in 1994, where he was in charge of project management on a number of large projects around the world involving new or expanded casino facilities. In 1991, Mr. Simard received a B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from Laval University in Quebec City.

Martin Guy, Vice-President Product Management and Technology
In 1996, he joined INO as project manager in the Photonics Group, where he conducted research and development activities related to passive components, optical amplifiers, and instrumentation for WDM communication systems. In 1998, he became head of technology for the Optical Communications team at INO. Dr. Guy holds B.Eng., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Laval University in Quebec City. He has worked in the fiber optic field for more than 10 years, has over 40 publications in international journals, and holds 4 patents.

Ghislain Lafrance, Vice-President Defense & Aerospace
From 1993 to 1996, he worked as hardware project engineer at EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering, a leading manufacturer of fiber optic test equipment. He then joined INO in 1996 as project manager for major military contracts. In 1999, he was appointed head of technology for laser diode illuminators and active imaging systems. Mr. Lafrance received a B.Eng. in 1991 and a M.Sc. Degree in electrical engineering (photonics) in 1993, both from Laval University in Quebec City.

Richard Kirouac, Chief Finance Officer
Mr. Kirouac obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (accounting) in 1979 at Laval University and received his license in accounting the same year. He was accepted to the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1981. Mr. Kirouac was a senior partner at Dallaire Forest Kirouac, a chartered accountant and business consultant firm with over 40 employees in Québec City. He acted as director of the Department of Management Counsultants. He was involved in numerous mandates in evaluation, private and public financing, sales and amalgamation, business development, corporative restructuring and business grants. Mr. Kirouac joined TeraXion in October 2000 as Chief Financial Officer. His responsibilities consist in supervising financial operations of the Company, validating and analyzing financial reports, and elaborating financing strategies for the rapid growth of TeraXion. He is an active member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Results Accountants-Network (RAN) and DFK International.