GILES LABBÉ

Gilles Labbé was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1956. He first shot for the stars on the ice: Labbé’s midget hockey team became Canadian champions in 1973 and he later played in Quebec’s junior major league. But Labbé also hit the books, graduating from the Collège Jean-Eudes and the prestigious HEC Montréal, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration.

 Labbé credits these experiences with Héroux-Devtek’s success: HEC, for the tools to take the company to the heights of the aviation industry, and hockey, for the teamwork reflected in Héroux-Devtek’s unique culture of Respect, Responsibility, Recognition and Resilience.

Labbé began his career in 1978 as a CPA with Arthur Andersen. By 1982, at just 26, he had become the Director of Finance at Héroux, Inc., then owned by Bombardier. The company was modest, but internationally recognized for building the landing gear for the Apollo Space Mission to the Moon.  Intrigued, and recognizing Héroux’s potential, Labbé and his manager Sarto Richer put up their own money to buy the business, and in 1985, at just 29, Labbé became its President and CEO.

Under Labbé’s leadership, Héroux soared. Within nine months, the company’s order backlog surged from $15 million to $150 million, and by 1989, sales had skyrocketed from $12 million to over $50 million. Héroux secured major contracts with the US Air Force and Canadair and expanded through a series of strategic acquisitions in Canada and the United States.

In 2000, Héroux acquired Devtek Corporation, and Héroux-Devtek Inc. was born, specializing in the design, development, manufacture, and repair of landing gear systems and components. In 2013 Héroux-Devtek secured a pivotal agreement with Boeing for the 777 and 777X landing gear systems, cementing the company’s status as a global aerospace leader.

In 2019, Labbé is the Executive Chairman of Héroux-Devtek. He continues to embrace new technologies and sustainable practices and boasts 1,870 employees across multiple countries. It is the third-largest landing gear manufacturer worldwide.

Beyond his corporate achievements, Labbé is deeply committed to philanthropy, supporting many charitable organizations and educational institutions, including the ones that gave him his professional wings.