CAE President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Parent will be inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation during the organization’s annual gala on January 19, 2024. The Living Legends of Aviation are individuals who are recognized for their exceptional contribution to the field. This year’s other Living Legend inductees will include Prince Harry (The Duke of Sussex), Fred George (a U.S. Navy pilot and world-renowned aviation writer), and Steve Hinton (an American aviator who held a world-speed record from 1979 to 1989).
“For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about aviation and driven by the desire to make the world safer. I feel humbled to be joining the ranks of some of the most iconic figures of this industry,” said Marc Parent. “In the same way that I have been influenced by the Living Legends who came before me, I hope the stories of today’s aviation leaders inspire the next generation to take to the skies and become the Living Legends of tomorrow.”
Throughout a career spanning more than 40 years, Marc has helped shape the aerospace industry in Canada and around the world. At just 17, he earned his private pilot’s licence, two years before his driver’s permit. Marc graduated from Mechanical Engineering at Montreal’s École Polytechnique in 1984 and joined Canadair as an engineer on the Challenger and Canadair Regional Jet programs. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Parent held numerous executive positions within Bombardier Aerospace, leading a number of facilities and product lines. He ran operations for Bombardier’s de Havilland site in Toronto. Later, he held the position of Vice President and General Manager, U.S. Operations, with responsibilities encompassing Learjet facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and Tucson, Arizona. In 2004, he returned to Montreal as Vice President and General Manager of the Challenger 300, 604, and 850/870 programs as well as the CRJ 200 Regional Aircraft product line.
Marc joined CAE in 2005 and became President and CEO in 2009. He has led the company to grow beyond simulation products to become the largest provider of civil aviation training services worldwide, and a global leader in training and mission support solutions for defence and security forces. Under his leadership, CAE has transformed into a tech leader, bringing the digital and physical worlds closer together through cutting-edge technology.
Committed to accelerating the development and safe adoption of world-changing innovations, Marc led CAE to become the first Canadian aerospace company to be carbon-neutral in 2020. Looking toward the future, Marc is continuing on his quest to make the aerospace industry more efficient, greener, and safer than ever before.
Marc's impact was recognized in 2020 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, the country's highest honour. In 2022, Marc was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, named an Industry Leader of the Year by the Living Legends of Aviation, and won Aviation Week's Philip J. Klass Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Marc is an active pilot holding an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) from Transport Canada. He currently resides in Montreal, Canada, and has three grown children. For his complete biography, click here.
The “Living Legends of Aviation” are a group of over 100 remarkable people of extraordinary accomplishment in aviation. The Legends are aviation entrepreneurs, innovators, astronauts, industry leaders, record breakers, pilots that have become celebrities and celebrities that have become pilots. They gather each year to celebrate individual accomplishments and advancements during aviation’s second century. The event is produced by Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, an organization that educates and sparks children’s interest in aviation.
At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, airlines, defence and security forces and healthcare practitioners to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we’re everywhere customers need us to be with more than 13,000 employees in approximately 250 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight, mission and medical simulators and training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we’ll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.
Read our FY23 Global Annual Activity and Sustainability Report.
