Normand Bourbonnais has been working in the field of microelectronics for nearly 40 years. He has held various leadership positions in production, quality control, engineering, and advanced product development at IBM.
In 2007, with the support of industrial partners, he dedicated his time and energy to designing an innovative R&D center model aimed at consolidating the microelectronics industry’s position in Bromont, Quebec, and Canada. His determination and leadership led to the creation of the largest microelectronics research centre in Canada: the MiQro Innovation Collaborative Centre (C2MI). As its CEO, Normand developed a unique collaboration model that offers numerous collaboration opportunities related to all fields surrounding the manufacturing of embedded systems. C2MI promotes collaboration between the companies within its ecosystem, thereby multiplying the possibilities for innovation.
In 2015, in collaboration with several industrial partners and associative groups, he founded ISEQ – one of the first centers of excellence in the electronic systems industry in Quebec, whose mission is to facilitate industry networking to contribute to Quebec’s economic development.
Involved in several organizations aimed at facilitating and recognizing innovation in the industry, Mr. Bourbonnais has served as a board member for CMC Microsystems, as a board member for PROMPT, an industrial research sectoral group specializing in information and digital technologies, and as a governor of Défi Innovation Estrie, an organization aimed at accelerating innovation development in businesses.
His experience and in-depth knowledge of the microelectronics industry later led him to lead the team that submitted the application for the innovation zone in electronic systems in Bromont.
Now CEO of Technum Québec, one of Quebec’s first two innovation zones, he intends to continue promoting this industry in Quebec, Canada, and internationally.
Normand Bourbonnais holds a degree in mechanical engineering from École Polytechnique, an MBA from Concordia University and a certificate on Governance from the Rotman School of Management at McGill university .
“Electronic components are at the heart of the modern economy. They are the foundation of technological innovations that we find in various economic sectors such as automotive, aerospace, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and quantum. The current geopolitical context, which puts pressure on the repositioning of the global supply chain, is a unique, even generational, opportunity that we must seize to ensure greater resilience for the future.” — Normand Bourbonnais, CEO of Technum Québec.